Tuan
A Vietnamese masculine name meaning "lord" or "master".
Name Census estimates that about 1,363 living Americans carry the first name Tuan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Tuan today is around 37 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tuan births was 1982 (93 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tuan. 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
1.4K
~ 1 in 251,471 Americans
Peak year
1982
93 babies that year
Average age
37
years old
2021 SSA rank
#12,015
Tracked since 1971
Popularity
Tuan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tuan 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 710 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
Tuan 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 Tuan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Tuans live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. California, Texas, Louisiana recorded the most babies named Tuan, while Virginia, Kansas, Louisiana recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 126 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Tuan
The name Tuan is believed to have originated from the Vietnamese language, where it is a common given name for males. In Vietnamese, the word "tuan" means "week" or "period of seven days." The name likely emerged during the medieval period in Vietnam, although its precise origins are uncertain.
One theory suggests that the name Tuan may have derived from an ancient Vietnamese word meaning "to obey" or "to follow," reflecting the cultural value placed on obedience and adherence to societal norms. However, this connection is not definitively established.
Historical records indicate that the name Tuan was used in Vietnam as early as the 11th century. It is mentioned in several ancient Vietnamese literary works and historical chronicles from that time period, although specific individuals with this name are not always clearly identified.
One of the earliest notable figures to bear the name Tuan was Tran Tuan (1230-1291), a prominent Vietnamese Confucian scholar and statesman who served as a high-ranking official during the Tran Dynasty. He was renowned for his literary works and his contributions to the development of Vietnam's civil service system.
Another historically significant individual with the name Tuan was Nguyen Tuan (1386-1459), a Vietnamese military commander and strategist who played a crucial role in defending Vietnam against Chinese invasions during the Ming Dynasty. His military tactics and leadership were instrumental in preserving Vietnam's independence during this period.
In the 19th century, Tuan Nguyen Anh (1802-1883) was a Vietnamese prince and military leader who briefly ruled as the Emperor of Vietnam under the name Minh Mang. He is remembered for his efforts to modernize Vietnam's military and his attempts to resist French colonialism.
A more recent figure bearing the name Tuan was Tuan Nguyen (1910-1986), a Vietnamese diplomat and politician who served as the Prime Minister of South Vietnam from 1965 to 1966 during the Vietnam War.
Additionally, Tuan Leong (1920-2003) was a prominent Malaysian artist and painter known for his vibrant depictions of Southeast Asian landscapes and cultural scenes. He is widely regarded as one of the pioneers of modern Malaysian art.
While the name Tuan has Vietnamese roots, it has also been adopted and used in other Southeast Asian countries with cultural ties to Vietnam, such as Cambodia and Laos. However, its usage remains most prevalent in Vietnam, where it continues to be a popular given name for boys and men.
People
Tuan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tuan 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
Tuan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tuan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,363 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tuan 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 251,471 US residents.
Is Tuan a common name?
We classify Tuan as "Rare". It ranks above 91.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,417 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tuan most popular?
The single biggest year for Tuan was 1982, when 93 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tuan is about 37 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Tuan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tuan 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.