Thuy
A feminine Vietnamese name meaning "water flow" or "river, stream".
Name Census estimates that about 1,033 living Americans carry the first name Thuy. It is a predominantly female name (98.4% of registrations). The average person named Thuy today is around 39 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Thuy births was 1982 (99 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Thuy. 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
1.0K
~ 1 in 331,805 Americans
Peak year
1982
99 babies that year
Average age
39
years old
1985 SSA rank
#7,496
Tracked since 1974
Gender
Gender distribution for Thuy
Thuy leans heavily female at 98.4% of total registrations, but 17 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Thuy as a male name
- Ranked #7,496 in 1985
- 5 male births in 1985
- Peak: 1982 (7 births)
Thuy as a female name
- Ranked #18,875 in 2015
- 5 female births in 2015
- Peak: 1983 (93 births)
Popularity
Thuy: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Thuy 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 645 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
Thuy 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 Thuy during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Thuys live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. California, Texas, Louisiana recorded the most babies named Thuy, while Massachusetts, Florida, Kansas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 86 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Thuy
The name Thuy originates from the Vietnamese language and culture. It is a unisex name that has been used for centuries. The name is derived from the Vietnamese word "thủy," which means "water" or "river." This connection to water is significant in Vietnamese culture, where waterways played a crucial role in transportation, agriculture, and daily life.
In ancient Vietnamese mythology, water was often personified as a deity or spirit, and the name Thuy may have been used to honor or invoke this spiritual connection. Additionally, the name may have been given to children born near a river or during the rainy season, as a symbol of life and abundance.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Thuy can be found in historical documents and literary works from the 10th century AD, during the Ly Dynasty in Vietnam. One notable example is Thuy Hieu, a renowned Vietnamese poet and scholar who lived in the 11th century.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Thuy. In the 13th century, Thuy Hieu Luong was a prominent Buddhist monk and teacher who contributed to the spread of Buddhism in Vietnam. During the 15th century, Thuy Trieu Trang was a celebrated Vietnamese general who fought against Chinese invaders.
In more recent times, Thuy Trang (1973-2001) was a Vietnamese-American actress best known for her role as the Yellow Ranger in the television series "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers." Thuy Muoi (1949-2022) was a renowned Vietnamese poet and writer who explored themes of war, love, and the human condition in her works.
Another notable figure is Thuy Tien (born 1981), a Vietnamese pop singer and actress who has had a successful career in the entertainment industry since the late 1990s. Her music has been influential in shaping contemporary Vietnamese pop culture.
These examples illustrate the diverse backgrounds and accomplishments of individuals who have carried the name Thuy throughout history, reflecting the cultural significance and enduring legacy of this name in Vietnamese society.
People
Thuy + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Thuy 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
Thuy: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Thuy?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,033 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Thuy 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 331,805 US residents.
Is Thuy a common name?
We classify Thuy as "Rare". It ranks above 90.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,093 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Thuy most popular?
The single biggest year for Thuy was 1982, when 99 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Thuy is about 39 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Thuy a female name?
Yes, 98.4% of people registered as Thuy 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.