Viet
Of Vietnamese origin meaning "unity" or "belonging to the Vietnamese people".
Name Census estimates that about 1,057 living Americans carry the first name Viet. It is a predominantly male name (99.0% of registrations). The average person named Viet today is around 35 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Viet births was 1982 (65 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Viet. 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
1.1K
~ 1 in 324,271 Americans
Peak year
1982
65 babies that year
Average age
35
years old
2023 SSA rank
#10,382
Tracked since 1975
Gender
Gender distribution for Viet
Viet leans heavily male at 99.0% of total registrations, but 11 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Viet as a male name
- Ranked #14,047 in 2023
- 5 male births in 2023
- Peak: 1982 (65 births)
Viet as a female name
- Ranked #10,382 in 1981
- 6 female births in 1981
- Peak: 1981 (6 births)
Popularity
Viet: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Viet 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 436 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
Viet 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 Viet during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Viets live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. California, Texas, Kansas recorded the most babies named Viet, while Florida, Kansas, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 102 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Viet
The name Viet has its origins in the Vietnamese language and culture. It is derived from the word "Viet" which means "Vietnamese" or "the Vietnamese people." The name is closely tied to the history and identity of the Vietnamese nation.
In ancient times, the name Viet was used to refer to the various ethnic groups that inhabited the region now known as Vietnam. It is believed that the name was first mentioned in written records dating back to the 3rd century BC, during the Nanyue kingdom. The name was also used in historical texts and records from the Han dynasty and the subsequent Chinese domination of the region.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Viet was Viet Vuong, a legendary leader of the Viet people who is said to have lived in the 7th century BC. He is revered as a founding figure in Vietnamese history and is often depicted in traditional folklore and literature.
During the medieval period, the name Viet gained prominence as a symbol of Vietnamese resistance against foreign rule. One notable figure was Ngo Quyen, a military leader who defeated the Chinese Southern Han forces in 938 AD and helped establish the independent Ngo dynasty. He is celebrated as a national hero in Vietnam and is often referred to as Viet Vuong Ngo Quyen.
In the 13th century, the name Viet was associated with the Tran dynasty, which successfully defended Vietnam against Mongol invasions. Tran Hung Dao, a renowned military strategist and commander, played a crucial role in these victories and is revered as one of the greatest figures in Vietnamese history.
Another significant figure in Vietnamese history who bore the name Viet was Nguyen Hue, also known as Quang Trung Nguyen Hue. He led a successful rebellion against the Tay Son brothers in 1788, reunifying Vietnam and establishing the Tay Son dynasty. His victory at the Battle of Ngoc Hoi is celebrated as a major triumph in Vietnamese history.
Throughout the centuries, the name Viet has been closely intertwined with the struggles for independence and national identity in Vietnam. It has been a source of pride and patriotism for the Vietnamese people, representing their resilience and determination in the face of adversity.
People
Viet + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Viet as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with V
Other first names starting with V with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Viet: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Viet?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,057 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Viet 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 324,271 US residents.
Is Viet a common name?
We classify Viet as "Rare". It ranks above 90.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,096 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Viet most popular?
The single biggest year for Viet was 1982, when 65 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Viet is about 35 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Viet a male name?
Yes, 99.0% of people registered as Viet 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.