{"id":39,"date":"2021-01-18T17:11:47","date_gmt":"2021-01-18T17:11:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/vietnamese\/?p=39"},"modified":"2021-04-05T19:07:28","modified_gmt":"2021-04-05T19:07:28","slug":"vietnamese-names","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/vietnamese\/vietnamese-names\/","title":{"rendered":"Vietnamese Names"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you were to meet a Vietnamese person and tried to guess their last name (h\u1ecd<\/em>), your chances would be pretty good. Because, the options are few compared to other nationalities. There\u2019s a great chance that person\u2019s h\u1ecd<\/em> is Nguy\u1ec5n.\u00a0 If not, perhaps Tr\u1ea7n, L\u00ea, or Ph\u1ea1m.\u00a0 If that isn\u2019t it, try Hu\u1ef3nh, Ho\u00e0ng, Phan, V\u0169, V\u00f5, \u0110\u1eb7ng, B\u00f9i, \u0110\u1ed7, H\u1ed3, Ng\u00f4, D\u01b0\u01a1ng, L\u00fd.\u00a0 Still wrong? You\u2019re out of luck because nearly all Vietnamese carry one of those common last names.<\/p>\n

Why are there so many h\u1ecd<\/em> Nguy\u1ec5n among the Vietnamese (approximately 40% of the population)?\u00a0 It\u2019s because the Nguy\u1ec5n dynasty was the last Vietnamese dynasty to hold power for over a century until its demise in 1945. With the change of a dynasty, many people would change their h\u1ecd<\/em> to the name of the ruling dynasty as an overt sign of allegiance, or to conceal their identities to avoid persecution, or to assimilate to the new regime, or to gain favor and opportunities.<\/p>\n

Vietnamese Name Structure<\/h2>\n

Unlike the United States, the Vietnamese name structure is reversed:<\/p>\n

Last name (h\u1ecd) <\/em>\u2013 Middle name (t\u00ean \u0111\u1ec7m<\/em>) \u2013 First name (t\u00ean ch\u00ednh<\/em>)<\/p>\n

It is not the Vietnamese custom that a wife takes her husband\u2019s last name when she is married.\u00a0 She retains her family name, but people may address her by her husband\u2019s first name to indicate she is married.\u00a0 For example, Mrs. Nguy\u1ec5n H\u1ed3ng Li\u00ean is married to Mr. L\u00ea Anh D\u0169ng.\u00a0 Her name would still be the same, but people may address her as \u201cMrs. D\u0169ng.\u201d<\/p>\n

Address the Name<\/h2>\n

In Vietnam, a person is addressed by their first name whether it\u2019s formal or informal. A personal pronoun, or an honorific name, is added in front of the first name for a formal address.\u00a0 For example, the current Vietnamese Prime Minister\u2019s name is Nguy\u1ec5n Xu\u00e2n Ph\u00fac.\u00a0 Nguy\u1ec5n is his last name.\u00a0 Xu\u00e2n is his middle name. Ph\u00fac is his first name.\u00a0 You can address him formally as Mr. Prime Minister Ph\u00fac (not Nguy\u1ec5n).\u00a0 For casual addressing, you can address him without the title as Mr. Ph\u00fac.<\/p>\n

Meaning of Name<\/h2>\n

Similar to Chinese names, each Vietnamese name carries its individual meaning derived from the first name and middle name.\u00a0 A name may commemorate an event, a heroic person, a virtue, or objects from nature like flowers.<\/p>\n

In the past, the common middle name for a male is V\u0103n, and for females it is Th\u1ecb. This naming tradition is now considered too provincial and not modern. Contemporary middle names are now derived from the mother\u2019s last name, or word(s) to complement the first name.\u00a0 Here are examples of how to \u201cdecode\u201d a name.<\/p>\n

\"H\u1ed3ng

H\u1ed3ng Li\u00ean (Pink Lotus)
Photo taken and used with permission from Kandle Dart<\/p><\/div>\n