Trinh
A Vietnamese feminine name possibly meaning "pure" or "virtuous".
Name Census estimates that about 424 living Americans carry the first name Trinh. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Trinh today is around 34 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Trinh births was 1982 (27 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Trinh. 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
424
~ 1 in 808,383 Americans
Peak year
1982
27 babies that year
Average age
34
years old
2015 SSA rank
#12,921
Tracked since 1976
Popularity
Trinh: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Trinh 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 187 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
Trinh 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 Trinh during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Trinhs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, Texas, Louisiana recorded the most babies named Trinh, while Louisiana, Texas, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 27 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Trinh
The given name Trinh is of Vietnamese origin. It first appeared in the 10th century during the Ly Dynasty, which ruled over the region now known as Vietnam from 1009 to 1225 CE. The name is derived from the Vietnamese word "trinh," meaning "chaste" or "pure."
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Trinh was Trinh Tuan, a revered Buddhist monk and scholar who lived during the 11th century. He is known for his contributions to Vietnamese literature and philosophy, including his influential work "The Way of Zen."
In the 16th century, the Trinh Lords, a powerful family clan, ruled over the northern regions of Vietnam. Notable figures from this era include Trinh Kiem (1508-1570), a military commander and strategist, and Trinh Tung (1601-1657), who served as the de facto ruler of the Trinh Lords' domain.
During the 17th century, Trinh Thi Ngoc Truc (1608-1678) was a renowned poet and writer from the Trinh Lords' court. Her collection of poetry, "The Subtle Fragrance of Wood and Flowers," is considered a masterpiece of Vietnamese literature.
In more recent history, Trinh Cong Son (1939-2001) was a highly influential Vietnamese musician and songwriter. His compositions, which blended traditional Vietnamese music with modern elements, played a significant role in shaping the country's contemporary music scene.
Another notable figure was Trinh Xuan Thuan (born 1948), a Vietnamese-American astrophysicist and author. He is known for his work in exploring the origins and evolution of the universe and has written several popular science books, including "The Quantum and the Lotus."
While these are just a few examples, the given name Trinh has a rich history dating back to ancient Vietnam and has been carried by numerous influential individuals throughout the centuries.
People
Trinh + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Trinh 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
Trinh: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Trinh?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 424 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Trinh 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 808,383 US residents.
Is Trinh a common name?
We classify Trinh as "Very Rare". It ranks above 82.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 443 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Trinh most popular?
The single biggest year for Trinh was 1982, when 27 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Trinh is about 34 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Trinh a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Trinh 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.