2000
#57
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 310,125
First available Census row
Per 100,000 114.96
Very Common Last name
Nguyen
A common Vietnamese surname derived from a Chinese surname meaning "musical instrument" or "accomplishment, performance."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 609,375 Americans carry the last name Nguyen. That puts it at #29 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 177.79 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 562 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nguyen surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Nguyen with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
609K
1 in 562
Census rank
#29
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
177.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
531K
very common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 531,404 bearers of the surname Nguyen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 177.79 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 29th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nguyen, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.1%) and White (1.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nguyen
The surname "NGUYEN" is one of the most common Vietnamese family names. It originated in the ancient Vietnamese kingdom of Au Lac, which existed from around the 7th century BCE to the 3rd century BCE in the region that is now northern Vietnam and parts of southern China.
The name "NGUYEN" is derived from the ancient Vietnamese word "Rồng" or "Rương," meaning "dragon" or "imperial." It is believed that the name was initially given to members of the royal family or those closely associated with the imperial court during the Au Lac period.
One of the earliest known references to the name "NGUYEN" can be found in the "Đại Việt Sử Ký Toàn Thư" (Complete Annals of Dai Viet), a historical text compiled in the 15th century CE, which mentions several prominent individuals bearing the surname during the medieval period.
During the Ly Dynasty (1009-1225 CE), the name "NGUYEN" gained further prominence. One notable figure was Nguyen Trai (1380-1442 CE), a renowned scholar, diplomat, and poet who served as a high-ranking official under the reign of Emperor Le Thai Tong.
Another famous individual with the surname "NGUYEN" was Nguyen Hue (1753-1792 CE), a military leader who played a crucial role in the Tay Son Rebellion and briefly ruled as Emperor Quang Trung, unifying Vietnam and expelling the Chinese Qing forces from the country.
Nguyen Du (1766-1820 CE), one of Vietnam's greatest poets and literary figures, is also remembered for his epic poem "The Tale of Kieu," which is considered a masterpiece of Vietnamese literature.
During the 19th and 20th centuries, the name "NGUYEN" became even more widespread, with many notable individuals bearing the surname. Nguyen Tat Thanh, better known as Ho Chi Minh (1890-1969 CE), was the revolutionary leader who led the struggle for Vietnamese independence and later became the first president of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.
Nguyen Van Linh (1915-1998 CE) was a prominent Vietnamese politician who served as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam from 1986 to 1991 and played a crucial role in initiating the Doi Moi economic reforms.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nguyen
Among Census respondents with the surname Nguyen, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.1%) and White (1.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Nguyen bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Nguyen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander95.4% · 507,213
- Two or more races2.1% · 11,355
- White1.3% · 7,141
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 4,431
- Black or African American0.2% · 1,150
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 114
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nguyen
Nguyen appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#38
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 437,645
+127,520 bearers (+41.1%)
Per 100,000 148.36
Rank movement Up 19 places
2020
#29
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 531,404
+93,759 bearers (+21.4%)
Per 100,000 177.79
Rank movement Up 9 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #57 | 310,125 | 114.96 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #38 | 437,645 | 148.36 | +127,520 bearers (+41.1%) | Up 19 places |
| 2020 | #29 | 531,404 | 177.79 | +93,759 bearers (+21.4%) | Up 9 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Nguyen surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #38 | #29 | 23.7% |
| Count | 437,645 | 531,404 | 21.4% |
| Per 100K | 148.36 | 177.79 | 19.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nguyen bearers went from 437,645 to 531,404 (+21.4% change). The surname moved up 9 positions in the national ranking, going from #38 to #29.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Nguyen
FAQ
Nguyen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nguyen?
Name Census estimates that about 609,375 living Americans carry the surname Nguyen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 562 residents.
How common is Nguyen?
Nguyen ranks #29 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 177.79 per 100,000 residents, which is about 178 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 531,404 people with the surname Nguyen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (609,375), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 177.79 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 177.79 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 178 of them to have the surname Nguyen.
Has Nguyen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nguyen went from 437,645 recorded bearers to 531,404. That is an increase of 93,759 (+21.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #38 to #29.
What does the Census say about the background of Nguyen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nguyen, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.1%) and White (1.3%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Nguyen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.4% (507,213 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nguyen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (95.4%), Two or More Races (2.1%), White (1.3%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Nguyen (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Nguyen mean?
A common Vietnamese surname derived from a Chinese surname meaning "musical instrument" or "accomplishment, performance." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Nguyen (177.79 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Nguyen?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.