Vietnamese names are a reflection of cultural diversity. These names often carry deep meanings and significance in Vietnamese society, shaping personal identities and family connections.

Vietnamese names are an integral part of Vietnamese people’s identity, which are rooted in rich naming traditions. We will uncover 200 common names for boys and girls in Vietnam and their meanings, which not only distinguish individuals but also reflect the local cultural values and family ties. Read on to check out some interesting facts about Vietnamese names, too!

1. A glance at the naming tradition in Vietnam

Vietnam boasts 54 ethnic groups, each with their unique cultural, historical, and social background. This diversity is reflected in the variations of people’s names, contributing to the rich culture of Vietnam. 

Names serve several important purposes in Vietnam. They help distinguish one’s lineage, providing insights into one’s ancestral roots. Furthermore, Vietnamese names are used to differentiate individuals from one another and to indicate gender (male or female). Additionally, names often carry aesthetic significance, typically associated with positive meanings and aspirations.

Naming is a solemn tradition within Vietnamese families, following certain principles:

• Conciseness: Vietnamese names are kept short and memorable.
• Uniqueness: Avoiding duplication ensures that each person’s identity remains distinct.
• Gender specificity: Vietnamese names clearly denote whether an individual is male or female.
• Aesthetic appeal: Vietnamese names are chosen for their tonal beauty.

Throughout Vietnamese history, the practice of giving middle names has endured. For instance, “Van” is often added to common Vietnamese male names, as it signifies a person with knowledge, education, and virtue. Thus, the inclusion of “Van” in Vietnamese names for boys reflects the parents’ aspirations for their sons to achieve success. On the other hand, “Thi” is added to common Vietnamese female names. It has traditionally been used to indicate women and was also a term women used to refer to themselves in the past.

2. Structure & order of Vietnamese names

Vietnamese full names traditionally comprise three components: surname, middle name, and given name.

Vietnamese surnames are passed down through generations.

Middle names, often a common word like “Thi” or “Van”, serve as an indicator of the person’s gender. However, these were the traditional middle names used by our ancestors. Nowadays, there are many contemporary Vietnamese names for both boys and girls. These middle names can be the mother’s surname or other meaningful words that complement the given name. 

Given names, on the other hand, are selected by the parents and may carry various meanings, including qualities, virtues, or aspirations.

The Vietnamese name order differs from that of Western names in that Vietnamese last names are placed first, followed by middle names and given names. For example, Trinh Van B would be addressed as Mr. Trinh.

In Vietnamese culture, titles play a crucial role in addressing individuals, besides their Vietnamese names. Some common titles and their meanings include “Anh” for “Older brother”, “Chi” for “Older sister”, “Co” for “Aunt”, and “Bac” for “Uncle”. These titles are placed before Vietnamese full names.

3. Popular Vietnamese names for boys & girls

After learning about the Vietnamese tradition of naming and the order of Vietnamese names, let’s explore some common Vietnamese female names and Vietnamese male names.

3.1. Top 100+ common Vietnamese male names and their meanings

Here is a list of Vietnamese male names from A to X, each with its own unique meaning and symbolic representation:

Anh: Intelligent An: Peaceful Ái: Affection Ân: Precious Bảo: Protection Bửu: Virtuous Bình: Calm Bá: Talented Ba: Strong Bảy: Born in July Bính: Crucial Bắc: North Bạc: Silver Cao: Tall Cường: Powerful Chí: Intelligent Chiến: Victory Cung: Respectful Công: Success Cả: Eldest Cẩn: Fine jade Châu: Pearl Cát: Lucky Chính: Integrity Đại: Great Dương: Ocean Danh: Famous Đức: Moral Dũng: Brave Duy: Clever Du: Optimistic Đạt: Achievement Đăng: Luminous Đông: East, winter Dĩnh: Skillful

Giang: River Gia: Family Giáp: Friendly Hà: River Hải: Sea Hào: Generous Hiên: Brave Hiệp: Strong Hùng: Courage Hiếu: Respectful Hoàng: Gold Học: Studious Huy: Glorious Hy: Hopeful Hảo: Good Hòa: Peaceful Huân: Successful Khải: Victory Khanh: Leader Khánh: Clever Khôi: Handsome Kim: Gold Khắc: Win Kiêt: Hero Khiêm: Humble Kỳ: Good fortune Long: Dragon Lâm: Forest Lợi: Benefit Lực: Strength Linh: Spirit Lập: Independent Lộc: Precious Liêm: Pure Luân: Clever Luật: Polite

Minh: Bright Mạnh: Strength Mậu: Talented Mong: Hope Nhẫn: Patient Nam: Manly Nghĩa: Meaningful Nguyên: Peace Nhân: Good Nhất: Important Ngôn: Talkative Nghị: Determined Nghiêm: Serious Phong: Wind Phương: Determined Phúc: Happy Phú: Rich Phước: Luck Quân: Manly Quang: Bright Quy: Precious Quý: Beloved Quốc: Patriot Quyết: Resolute Quyền: Powerful Sang: Noble Sinh: Blooming Sơn: Mountain Sung: Wealthy Sáng: Bright Sỹ: Expert

Tài: Talented Tâm: Softhearted Tân: Creative Thái: Intelligent Thanh: Pure Thành: Successful Thao: Courteous Thịnh: Prosperous Thọ: A long life Toàn: Safe Tin: Great thinker Tín: Trustworthy Tú: Star Trung: Loyal Tùng: Dignified Thắng: Victorious Thiện: Mindful Thiên: Powerful Thức: Knowledgeable Thăng: Rise Trường: Leader Tiến: Advance Tuân: Obedient Vũ: Confident Vĩnh: Eternal Vương: King Vân: Sky Xương: Flourish Vinh: Glory

3.2. Top 100 common Vietnamese female names and their meanings

For females, names in Vietnam not only serve as identifiers but also reflect historical, social, and cultural values. Here is a list of common Vietnamese names for females and their meanings:

Ái: Beloved An: Peaceful Anh: Intelligent Ánh: Sparkling Bích: Jade Bình: Calm Châu: Pearl Chi: A tree Chinh: Determined Cúc: Daisy Đan: Sincere Đào: Peach Diệp: Leaf Điệp: Butterfly Diệu: Beautiful Dịu: Gentle Dương: Sea Dung: Generous Duyên: Graceful Giang: River

Hà: River Hạ: Summer Hân: Joyful, jubilant Hằng: Moon Hạnh: Moral Hiền: Gentle Hoa: Flower Hòa: Nice, calm Hoài: Wait Hồng: Rose Huệ: Lily Hương: Scent Hường: Pink Khánh: Cheerful Khuyên: Elegant Kiều: Graceful Kim: Metal Lam: Blue Lan: Orchid Lành: Safe Liên: Lotus Liễu: Waxflower Linh: Little bell (which brings luck and fortune) Loan: Phoenix Ly: Lily

Mai: Yellow apricot Mây: Cloud Minh: Smart Mỹ: Beautiful Na: Girly Như: Tender Nhung: Velvet Nga: Beautiful, kind Ngân: Money Ngọc: Jade Nguyệt: Moon Oanh: Lovely Phụng: Phoenix Phương: Direction Phượng: Phoenix Quý: Precious Quyên: A precious bird in Asian culture Quỳnh: Night-blooming cereus flower Sen: Lotus

Tâm: Heart Thắm: Charming, full of love Thanh: Bright blue Thảo: Respectful to parents Thi: Poem Thơ: Poem Thơm: Fragrant Thu: Autumn Thương: Love Thúy: Beautiful, noble Thùy: Loving, gentle Tiên: Angel Trà: Tea Trang: Gracious Trinh: Virgin Trúc: Bamboo Tú: Star, outstanding Tuyền: River Tuyết: Snow Uyên: Smart, beautiful Vân: Cloud Vinh: Magnificent, glory Vy: Lovely, cute Xuân: Spring Yên: Peaceful, tranquil Yến: Canary

4. Interesting facts about Vietnamese names

There are some fascinating facts about Vietnamese full names or Vietnamese name order that you should not miss.

4.1. The most popular surnames in Vietnam

Vietnam, with its 54 ethnic groups, possesses around 1,023 surnames. Despite that, only 14 Vietnamese last names are the most common, including: Nguyen (38.4%), Tran (12.1%), Le (9.5%), Pham (7%), Hoang/Huynh (5.1%), Phan (4.5%), Vu/Vo (3.9%), Dang (2.1%), Bui (2%), Do (1.4%), Ho (1.3%), Ngo (1.3%), Duong (1%), Ly (0.5%).

4.2. The rarest surnames in Vietnam

In contrast to the 14 most common Vietnamese surnames, which make up 90%, the remaining 10% consists of rare surnames. Some of these surnames are so rare that it is very hard to come across those with those same surnames (except for those with the same bloodline), and most people have never even heard of them. Examples of these rare surnames in Vietnamese names include Thach, Vi, Nong, Xa, Uong, and Khau, which have origins in China, and other Vietnamese surnames like Luong, Bang, Doan, Trieu, and Ha, etc.

4.3. Weird naming traditions in some regions of Vietnam

In addition to the common naming practices mentioned above, in some regions of Vietnam, there are some interesting and somewhat peculiar naming customs that might leave you astonished:

• Cong Hoa Commune, Quoc Oai District, Hanoi: Normally, Vietnamese names begin with the surname, then the middle and given name. However, in this commune, the surname is placed in the middle. This practice is only applicable to male names, while female names are structured in the conventional way. This unique tradition has been maintained here for over 400 years.
• The Bahnar ethnic minority: The Bahnar people typically name their children using the initial sounds from the Vietnamese names of their grandparents, parents, or relatives to maintain familial connections. They also have a custom of naming children based on unusual events during birth, physical characteristics, sometimes even dream interpretations.
• The Jrai ethnic minority: The Jrai people have a rich variety of surnames, each connected to a legendary story about their ancestors, particularly a figure named Ho Bia. Depending on where Ho Bia gave birth to her children, the surname would be derived from that place, leading to surnames like Rahlan and Hiao (along the road), K’sor (in abandoned fields), Nay (in lowlands), R’mah (on the mango tree), and so on.
• The H’mong ethnic minority: In H’mong tradition, men are typically given Vietnamese names with a common middle name starting with ‘A’, similar to the popular ‘Van’ middle name. However, when they reach adulthood, they will have a naming ceremony to change their middle name which signifies respect within the community. This procedure is determined by the bride’s parents and it signifies that the groom is a good person.