Yuen
A Chinese name of uncertain meaning, possibly related to words for "beautiful" or "garden".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Yuen. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Yuen today is around 45 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Yuen births was 1977 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Yuen. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Yuen. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1977
5 babies that year
Average age
45
years old
1977 SSA rank
#11,322
Tracked since 1977
Popularity
Yuen: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Yuen 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 Yuen during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0 | 5 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Yuen
The name Yuen has its origins in the Chinese language and culture, dating back to ancient times. It is a romanized spelling of the Chinese characters 阮 or 袁, which have been used as surnames and given names for centuries.
The character 阮 is believed to have derived from an ancient Chinese word meaning "marsh" or "swamp," suggesting that the name may have been associated with people living in or near wetland areas. This character has been recorded in texts as early as the Shang Dynasty (c. 1600-1046 BCE).
The character 袁 is thought to have originated from an ancient word meaning "cloud" or "mist." This character has been found in inscriptions dating back to the Zhou Dynasty (c. 1046-256 BCE), and it was used as a clan name during this period.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Yuen was Yuen Shu (袁�ნნ), a military general and strategist who lived during the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220 CE). He is famous for his role in suppressing the Yellow Turban Rebellion and his contributions to the development of military tactics.
Another notable figure in history with the name Yuen was Yuen Ren Chao (袁ྂୌ ᅥ), a renowned linguist and philologist who lived from 1892 to 1982. He made significant contributions to the study of Chinese phonology and was a pioneer in the field of linguistic typology.
In the realm of literature, Yuen Fong (䰘昛) was a Chinese poet and calligrapher who lived during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE). He is celebrated for his elegant and expressive poetic works, which have been widely anthologized and studied throughout the centuries.
During the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 CE), Yuen Youren (袁ᖁ༶) was a prominent scholar and official who served as a prime minister under the Yongle Emperor. He is remembered for his dedication to Confucian principles and his efforts to promote education and civil service reforms.
In more recent history, Yuen Wah (袁ꥵ) was a renowned Hong Kong actor and martial artist who lived from 1945 to 1997. He appeared in numerous films and television series and was highly respected for his expertise in various martial arts styles.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who have borne the name Yuen, which has a rich legacy rooted in Chinese culture and language.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Yuen
People
Yuen + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Yuen as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with Y
Other first names starting with Y with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Yuen: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Yuen?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Yuen 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Yuen a common name?
We classify Yuen as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Yuen most popular?
The single biggest year for Yuen was 1977, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Yuen is about 45 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Yuen a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Yuen 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.