Find out how popular the last name Nguyễn is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Nguyễn.

Nguyễn, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Nguyễn surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nguyễn in America

Nguyễn is the 149395th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nguyễn surname appeared 110 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Nguyễn.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nguyễn to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Nguyễn

The surname Nguien has its origins in Vietnam, emerging around the 15th century. It is believed to be a variation of the Vietnamese word "nguyen," which means "origin" or "source." This name was commonly adopted by individuals from the northern regions of Vietnam, particularly in the provinces surrounding Hanoi.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Nguien can be found in "Dang Trong Pho Phan An Nam Nhat Thong Chi" (Records of the Unified Realm of Annam), a historical chronicle compiled in the 17th century. It mentions a prominent figure named Nguien Van Tho, who served as a high-ranking official during the reign of the Nguyen Lords in the 16th century.

The Nguien surname also appears in various ancient texts and manuscripts, including the "Kham Dinh Viet Su Toan Thu" (Complete Annals of Dai Viet), which chronicles the history of the Dai Viet kingdom from 1285 to 1697. This work mentions several individuals bearing the Nguien surname, some of whom held notable positions in the imperial court.

One of the most renowned figures with the Nguien surname was Nguien Trai (1380-1442), a renowned Vietnamese Confucian scholar, poet, and statesman. He served as a high-ranking official during the Lam Son dynasty and is credited with contributing to the development of the Chu Nom script, a writing system used in Vietnam.

Another notable figure was Nguien Hue (1753-1792), a celebrated military leader and the second emperor of the Tay Son dynasty. He played a crucial role in overthrowing the Nguyen Lords and establishing the Tay Son dynasty, ruling from 1788 to 1792.

In the 19th century, Nguien Huu Canh (1808-1882) was a prominent Vietnamese scholar and writer who made significant contributions to the preservation of traditional Vietnamese literature and culture.

During the 20th century, Nguien Ai Quoc (1890-1969), better known as Ho Chi Minh, was a revolutionary leader who played a pivotal role in Vietnam's struggle for independence from French colonial rule. He later became the first President of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.

The surname Nguien has also been associated with various place names and locations in Vietnam, such as Nguien Son, Nguien Binh, and Nguien Xuan, further reinforcing its deep roots in the country's history and geography.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nguyễn

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Nguyễn.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Nguyễn was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Nguyễn has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Nguyễn was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Nguyễn, please contact us.

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