Thu
Feminine Vietnamese name meaning "embroided" or "beautiful flower".
Name Census estimates that about 799 living Americans carry the first name Thu. It is a predominantly female name (99.4% of registrations). The average person named Thu today is around 35 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Thu births was 1983 (55 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Thu. 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.
People living today
799
~ 1 in 428,979 Americans
Peak year
1983
55 babies that year
Average age
35
years old
1990 SSA rank
#9,108
Tracked since 1975
Gender
Gender distribution for Thu
Out of the 837 babies given the name Thu since 1880, 99.4% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Thu as a male name
- Ranked #9,366 in 1990
- 5 male births in 1990
- Peak: 1990 (5 births)
Thu as a female name
- Ranked #9,108 in 2018
- 12 female births in 2018
- Peak: 1983 (55 births)
Popularity
Thu: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Thu from the 1970s through to the 2010s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 378 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
Thu 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 Thu during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Thus live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, Texas, Louisiana recorded the most babies named Thu, while Louisiana, Texas, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 83 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Thu
The name Thu has its origins in the Vietnamese language. It is a shortened version of the longer name Thuy, which is derived from the Vietnamese word for "water" or "river." This name was commonly used in Vietnam during the medieval period and has remained popular throughout the country's history.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Thu dates back to the 13th century, when it was mentioned in the historical annals of the Tran Dynasty, which ruled Vietnam from 1225 to 1400. During this time, the name was associated with the Vietnamese nobility and was often given to daughters of prominent families.
In Vietnamese folklore, the name Thu is associated with a legendary figure known as the "Lady of the River." According to the story, this beautiful woman was said to have emerged from a river and married a local farmer, bringing prosperity and good fortune to the village. This tale has contributed to the name's association with water, fertility, and abundance.
One of the earliest notable figures to bear the name Thu was Nguyen Thi Thu, a 16th-century Vietnamese poet and scholar who was renowned for her mastery of the Nom script, an ancient writing system used in Vietnam. Her works, which explored themes of love, nature, and the human condition, were widely celebrated during her lifetime and continue to be studied by scholars today.
Another prominent figure with the name Thu was Thu Thuy, a Vietnamese revolutionary and military leader who played a significant role in the country's struggle for independence from French colonial rule in the early 20th century. She was actively involved in the Viet Minh resistance movement and was instrumental in organizing guerrilla forces against the French.
In more recent times, the name Thu has been carried by several notable Vietnamese artists and public figures. Thu Phuong, born in 1979, is a popular Vietnamese singer and actress who has released numerous successful albums and appeared in several films and television shows. Thu Minh, born in 1979, is another well-known Vietnamese singer and television personality who has won numerous awards for her music and performances.
Other notable individuals with the name Thu include Thu Ha, a Vietnamese-American actress and model who has appeared in various Hollywood productions, and Thu Thao, a Vietnamese-born professional golfer who has competed on the Ladies European Tour and the LPGA Tour.
While the name Thu is primarily associated with Vietnam and its cultural traditions, it has also been adopted in other parts of the world, particularly among individuals of Vietnamese descent living abroad. Its connection to water and nature has contributed to its enduring popularity as a name that evokes beauty, grace, and harmony.
People
Thu + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Thu 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
Thu: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Thu?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 799 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Thu 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 428,979 US residents.
Is Thu a common name?
We classify Thu as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 837 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Thu most popular?
The single biggest year for Thu was 1983, when 55 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Thu is about 35 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Thu a female name?
Yes, 99.4% of people registered as Thu in the SSA data are female. 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.