Thanh
A Vietnamese name meaning green, fresh, or young.
Name Census estimates that about 1,682 living Americans carry the first name Thanh. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 62.8% of registrations being male. The average person named Thanh today is around 35 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Thanh births was 1981 (103 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Thanh. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Thanh sits in rare territory as a truly gender-neutral name, given to boys and girls in near-equal numbers.
People living today
1.7K
~ 1 in 203,778 Americans
Peak year
1981
103 babies that year
Average age
35
years old
2021 SSA rank
#13,869
Tracked since 1976
Gender
Gender distribution for Thanh
Thanh is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 1,749 total registrations, 1,099 (62.8%) were male and 650 (37.2%) were female.
Thanh as a male name
- Ranked #13,869 in 2021
- 5 male births in 2021
- Peak: 1982 (74 births)
Thanh as a female name
- Ranked #14,437 in 2014
- 7 female births in 2014
- Peak: 1985 (40 births)
Popularity
Thanh: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Thanh from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 793 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Thanh by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Thanh during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Thanhs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. California, Texas, Louisiana recorded the most babies named Thanh, while Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Colorado recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 94 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Thanh
The name Thanh originates from the Vietnamese language, where it means "pure" or "holy." Its roots can be traced back to ancient Vietnamese culture and traditions, with the name carrying significant cultural and spiritual significance.
In Vietnamese, the word "thanh" is often associated with purity, innocence, and virtuous qualities. It was commonly given to children with the hope that they would embody these positive traits throughout their lives.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Thanh can be found in ancient Vietnamese literature and historical records dating back to the early centuries of the common era. It was a popular name among royalty and nobility, as well as among Buddhist monks and scholars.
One of the earliest known individuals with the name Thanh was Thanh Tong, a Vietnamese emperor who ruled from 1460 to 1497. He was known for his efforts to promote education and maintain peace within his kingdom.
Another notable figure in Vietnamese history was Thanh Hien, a renowned poet and scholar who lived during the 18th century. His works are still studied and revered in Vietnam today.
In the realm of Buddhism, Thanh Tri was a highly respected Vietnamese monk and teacher who lived in the 17th century. He was renowned for his wisdom and his dedication to spreading the teachings of Buddhism throughout Vietnam.
Moving into more recent times, Thanh Nguyen was a prominent Vietnamese artist and painter who lived from 1926 to 2009. His works captured the beauty and essence of Vietnamese culture, earning him widespread recognition both within Vietnam and internationally.
Finally, Thanh Lam is a celebrated Vietnamese singer and songwriter who has been active since the 1980s. Known for her powerful vocals and her ability to blend traditional Vietnamese music with contemporary styles, she has gained a dedicated following both in Vietnam and among the Vietnamese diaspora.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who have carried the name Thanh, a name that has endured for centuries and continues to hold significant cultural and spiritual meaning within the Vietnamese tradition.
People
Thanh + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Thanh as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with T
Other first names starting with T with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Thanh: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Thanh?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,682 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Thanh going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 203,778 US residents.
Is Thanh a common name?
We classify Thanh as "Rare". It ranks above 93% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,749 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Thanh most popular?
The single biggest year for Thanh was 1981, when 103 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Thanh is about 35 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Thanh a male name?
Yes, 62.8% of people registered as Thanh in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.