Vietnamese names () generally consist of two components including a surname followed by a given name:
A surname most is a monosyllable and normally patrilineal, although matrilineality is possible. A composite given name consists of an optional padding name precedes a mandatory primary name: Padding name: typically a monosyllable, although some individuals have more than one. Due to be placed at the "middle" of the full name, it is often mistakenly considered to serve the same role as a middle name in Western naming conventions. Primary name: usually consists of one or two syllables as a double name.
However, not every name is conformant. For example: Full nameSurnameGiven nameNotesPadding namePrimary name NguyễnnoneTrãiPhạmnoneBình Minh()NguyễnVănQuyết()NguyễnNgọc() Trường Sơn()Tôn ThấtnoneThuyếtLâmThị Mỹ Dạ()Hoàng PhủNgọc Tường()TrầnLêQuốc()Toàn()
The Eastern name order with the surname placed first is the standard naming convention throughout the East Asian cultural sphere which Vietnam is a part of. The structure of Vietnamese names is similar to that of Chinese and Korean names, in that they share many common monosyllabic surnames such as Lý (Li/Lee), Trần (Chen/Jin), Hoàng (Huang/Hwang), Trịnh (Zheng/Jung),... while full names typically consist of two to four monosyllabic elements corresponding to Sino-Xenic morphemes historically derived from Chinese characters. The key difference is that Vietnamese people may be referred to by their full name, their primary name, or a kinship pronoun indicating the speaker's relationship to them, but the primary name is the most common form of address (by contrast, in Chinese and Korean, people are more commonly addressed by their surname or full name, depending on the social context). In the Western world and among many Vietnamese diaspora communities, Vietnamese names may also be written in the Western order with the surname placed last after the given name, for example Tam Dinh or Filip Nguyen.
The Vietnamese language is tonal, and so are Vietnamese names. Names with the same spelling but different tones represent different meanings, which can confuse people when the diacritics are dropped, as is commonly done outside Vietnam (e.g. Đoàn () vs Doãn (), both become Doan when diacritics are omitted). Additionally, through homonymy, some names can only be distinguished through context or by reference to their corresponding chữ Hán (Chinese characters), such as 南 () or 男 (), both are read as "Nam". Vietnamese names have corresponding chữ Hán adopted early on during Chinese rule. The modern Latin-based writing system, chữ Quốc ngữ, popularized during the French colonial era, is fully romanized and has replaced the earlier, chữ Hán–based script, chữ Nôm.
As part of the criteria for naturalization as a Vietnamese citizen, foreigners applying for Vietnamese nationality must also adopt a Vietnamese name.
Surnames The surname () is positioned first and is passed on by the father to his children in a traditionally patrilineal order, but exceptions are possible. It is estimated that there are around 100 surnames in common use, but some are far more common than others. Nguyễn is by far the most common (31.5% in 2022), followed by Trần (10.9%) and Lê (8.9%).
History Similar to Chinese and Korean, Vietnamese are shared many common monosyllabic surnames. Some scholars argue that all Vietnamese surnames are of Chinese origin, introduced during the thousand-year Chinese occupation of Vietnam, which began in 111 BCE with the Han Dynasty. Prior to this, evidence of distinct Vietnamese surnames is scarce due to a lack of written records. An alternative view suggests that Vietnamese surnames include both indigenous names and those borrowed from Chinese culture. Hypotheses propose that indigenous surnames may have evolved from place-names in the Red River delta (e.g., Nguyễn from "nguồn, ngòi" meaning spring or canal) or from traditional totems (e.g., Gà for "chicken tribe"). Historically, individuals sometimes adopted the surname of the ruling dynasty as a sign of loyalty, or were compelled to do so, particularly after dynastic changes. For example, during the Trần dynasty, individuals with the surname Lý (from the overthrown Lý dynasty) were ordered to change their surname to Nguyễn. The Nguyễn dynasty (1802-1945) further contributed to the prevalence of the Nguyễn surname. Additionally, surnames were sometimes changed to evade taxes, avoid penalties, or adhere to royal name taboos.
Vietnamese surnames also have origins from other ethnic groups, including Hoa (Khổng, Lưu, Trương), Khmer (Thạch, Sơn), Cham (Chế, Chiêm), and various ethnic minorities (Linh, Giáp, Ma).
Common surnames The following are the most common surnames among Vietnamese, with their chữ Quốc ngữ spelling, and their corresponding Hán-Nôm characters.Lê Trung Hoa, Họ Và Tên Người Việt Nam (Vietnamese Family and Personal Names), Social Sciences Publishing House (2005) The figures are from a 2022 study 100 họ phổ biến ở Việt Nam (100 Most Popular Surnames In Vietnam) from the Vietnamese Social Science Publisher (Nhà xuất bản Khoa học Xã hội). In 2005, these 14 names had accounted for around 90% of the Vietnamese population.
+Frequency of Vietnamese surnamesRankSurnamePronunciation (IPA)Chữ HánPercentage (2022)1Nguyễn[ŋwiə̯nˀ]31.5%2Trần[t̠͡ʂʌ̀n] ~ [cʌ̀n]10.9%3Lê [lē] ~ [lī] 8.9%4Phạm[fâːmˀ]范5.9%5Hoàng / Huỳnh[hwàːŋ] / [hɰìjŋ]黃5.1%6Vũ / Võ[vǔʔ] / [vɔ̌ˀ] 武4.9%7Phan[fāːn]2.8%8Trương[t̠͡ʂɯ̄ɤŋ]~[cɯ̄ɤŋ]2.2%9Bùi[ɓùj]2.1%10Đỗ[ɗǒʔ]杜1.9%11Đặng[ɗɐ̂ŋˀ]鄧 1.9%12Ngô[ŋʷōː]1.7%13Hồ[hòː]1.5%14Dương[zɯ̄ɤŋ]1.4%15Lý[li˧˥]李1.0%Other16.3%
The following list includes less-common surnames in alphabetical order which make up the other 16.3% (2022):
Other
Ái: 愛 An: 安 Ân: 殷 / 恩 Bạch: 白 Bành: 彭 Bao: 包 / 鮑 Biên: 邊 Biện: 卞 Cam: 甘 Cảnh: 景 / 耿 Cao: 高 Cái: 蓋 Cát: 葛 Chân: 甄 / 真 Châu: 周 / 洲 Chế: 制 Chiêm: 詹 Chu: 朱 / 周 Chung: 鍾 / 鐘 Chử: 褚 Cổ: 古 Cù: 瞿 Cung: 龔 / 宮 / 共 Củng: 鞏 Cừu: 裘 Dịch: 易 Diệp: 葉 Doãn: 尹 Dũ: 俞 Dung: 容 / 蓉 Dư: 余 Dữu: 庾 Đái: 戴 Đàm: 譚 Đào: 陶 Đậu: 竇 Điền: 田 Đinh: 丁 Đoàn: 段 Đồ: 涂 / 塗 Đồng: 童 / Đồng: 同 Đổng: 董 Đường: 唐 Giả: 賈 Giải: 解 Gia Cát: 諸葛 Giản: 簡 Giang: 江 Giáp: 郟 Hà: 何 / 河 Hạ: 夏 / 賀 Hác: 郝 Hàn: 韓 Hầu: 侯 Hình: 邢 Hoa: 花 / 華 Hoắc: 霍 Hoạn: 宦 Hồng: 洪 / 紅 Hứa: 許 Hướng: 向 Hy: 郗 / 希 Kha: 柯 Khâu: 邱 / 丘 Khổng: 孔 Khuất: 屈 Kiều: 喬 Kim: 金 Kỳ: 祁 / 奇 Kỷ: 紀 La: 羅 Lạc: 駱 / 樂 Lại: 賴 Lam: 藍 / 嵐 Lăng: 凌 Lãnh: 冷 Lâm: 林 Lận: 藺 Lệ: 酈 / 麗 Liên: 連 Liêu: 廖 Liễu: 柳 Long: 龍 Lôi: 雷 Lục: 陸 Lư: 盧 Lữ: 呂 Lương: 梁 Lưu: 劉 Mã: 馬 Mạc: 莫 Mạch: 麥 Mai: 梅 Mạnh: 孟 Mao: 毛 Mẫn: 閔 / 敏 Miêu: 苗 Minh: 明 Mông: 蒙 Ngân: 鄞 / 銀 Nghê: 倪 Nghiêm: 嚴 Ngư: 魚 Ngưu: 牛 Nhạc: 岳 / 樂 Nhan: 顔 Nhâm: 任 Nhiếp: 聶 Nhiều: 饒 Nhung: 戎 Ninh: 寧 & 甯 Nông: 農 Ôn: 溫 Ổn: 鄔 Ông: 翁 Phí: 費 Phó: 傅 Phong: 峰 / 風 / 豐 / 封 / 鋒 Phòng: 房 Phù: 符 Phùng: 馮 Phương: 方 / 芳 Quách: 郭 Quan: 關 Quản: 管 Quang: 光 Quảng: 鄺 Quế: 桂 Quyền: 權 Sài: 柴 Sầm: 岑 Sử: 史 Tạ: 謝 Tào: 曹 Tăng: 曾 Tân: 辛 / 新 Tần: 秦 Tất: 畢 Tề: 齊 Thạch: 石 Thai: 邰 Thái: 蔡 Thang: 湯 Thành: 成 / 誠 Thảo: 草 Thân: 申 Thầm / Kham: 諶 Thi: 施 / 詩 Thích: 戚 Thiện: 單 / 善 Thiệu: 邵 Thọ: 壽 Thôi: 崔 Thủy: 水 Thư: 舒 / 書 Thường: 常 Tiền: 錢 Tiết: 薛 Tiêu: 蕭 / 焦 Tô: 蘇 Tôn: 孫 Tôn Thất: 尊室 / Tôn Nữ: 尊女 Tông: 宗 Tống: 宋 Trác: 卓 Trạch: 翟 / 澤 Tái: 賽 Trang: 莊 Trầm: 沈 Trâu: 鄒 Trì: 池 Triệu: 趙 Trịnh: 鄭 Từ: 徐 Tư Mã: 司馬 Tưởng: 蔣 Úc: 郁 Ứng: 應 Vạn: 萬 Văn: 文 Vân: 雲 / 雲 / 芸 Vi: 韋 Vĩnh: 永 Vu: 于 Vương: 王 Vưu: 尤 Xà: 佘 Xa: 車 Yên: 鄢 Yến: 燕
In Vietnamese culture, women keep their surnames after marriage. Even though it is not required by law, children usually bear the father’s surname. After the French colonial period, there emerged a trend in which someone is given a padding name derived from the as a gesture of respect and remembrance (e.g. Trần Quốc Toàn).
In the name Trần Lê Quốc Toàn, the surname is not Trần Lê. Rather, the surname is Trần, inherited from his father, while Lê is his mother's surname and serves as a padding name. Therefore, a child of Trần Lê Quốc Toàn would inherit the surname Trần (or his wife's surname, depending on the naming choice). If the child takes the surname Trần, however, the name does not necessarily have to begin with Trần Lê, because Trần Lê is not an established compound surname.
In more casual contexts, people are usually on a "first-name basis", which involves their primary names, accompanied by proper kinship terms.
Given names Most Vietnamese given names () are composite names, consists of an optional padding name and a mandatory primary name.
Padding name (middle name) Padding name () in Vietnamese is optional. Due to be placed at the "middle" position in a Vietnamese full name, padding name is usually referred by term "middle name" in English. However, it has a very different role and usage compared to the middle name of Western naming conventions: as the prefix to supplement the primary name, it cannot be used independently and must be used together with the primary name when addressing a person. Therefore, padding name in Vietnamese is considered part of the given name, and always precedes the primary name.
For example, Jacob Harry Marguire is commonly known as "Harry Marguire" and he can be addressed simply by his middle name "Harry". Or Andrea Kimi Antonelli is commonly known as "Kimi Antonelli" and he can be addressed simply by his middle name "Kimi". However in Vietnamese custom, Nguyễn Văn Toàn is often addressed by primary name "Toàn" or formally "Văn Toàn", never addressed by only padding name "Văn", or reversed as "Toàn Văn". Because it is optional, Nguyễn Văn Toàn may be spelled shorter as "Nguyễn Toàn" by omitting "Văn", but the forms by surname with padding name such as "Nguyễn Văn" are never used.
Consequently, Vietnamese people do not have middle names in the English sense. Even when a Vietnamese name Nguyễn Văn Toàn is written in the Western order of "first name–middle name–last name", the padding name should be treated as part of the compound "first name" together with the primary name such as Nguyen, rather than as an independent component functioning as a "middle name" such as Toan Nguyen (see more in misconception about padding names).
Most Vietnamese people have a monosyllablic padding name, but it is also quite common to have multisyllable or none at all such as Tô Lâm. Semantically, a padding name can stand alone (e.g., Văn or Thị), but it is usually combined with the primary name to form a more meaningful given name.
In the past, the padding name was selected by parents from a fairly narrow range of options. Almost all women had Thị (氏) as their padding name, and many men had Văn (文). More recently, a broader range of names has been used, and people named Thị usually omit their padding name because they do not like to call it with their name. For example, singer Hồ Ngọc Hà has birthname "Hồ Thị Ngọc Hà". Thị is a most common female padding name, and most common amongst pre-1975 generation but less common amongst younger generations. Thị (氏) is an archaic Sino-Vietnamese suffix meaning "clan; family; lineage; hereditary house" and attached to a woman's original surname, but now is used to simply indicate the female sex. For example, the name "Trần Thị Mai Loan" means "Mai Loan, a female person of the Trần family". Some traditional male padding names may include Văn (文), Hữu (有), Đức (德), Thành (誠), Công (公), Minh (明), and Quang (光).
The padding name can have several uses: To indicate a person's generation. Brothers and sisters may share the same padding name, which distinguish them from the generation before them and the generation after them (see generation name).