Names / Nguyen
Is Nguyen a first name or a last name?
Nguyen is a family name (last name). It is mostly a family name in Vietnam, the United States and France.
Nguyen is carried by a large share of Vietnamese people, which is exactly why it is not used to address someone. In Nguyen Van Minh, write Dear Mr. Minh. If the name has been flipped to Minh Nguyen, the person is still Mr. Minh.
How to address someone called Nguyen
- Vietnam. Nguyen is a family name, but people are addressed by their given name, even formally: the last part of a name written in local order. Do not write Mr. Nguyen or Ms. Nguyen.
- United States. Nguyen is a family name, usually written last. Write Dear Mr. Nguyen or Dear Ms. Nguyen.
- France. Nguyen is a family name, usually written last. Write Dear Mr. Nguyen or Dear Ms. Nguyen.
Not sure which part of a full name is which? Check the full name with the country where the person is based.
Nguyen by country
People recorded in Wikidata who carry Nguyen as a family name or as a given name, by country of citizenship (1,099 in total).
| Country | As family name | As given name | Family name share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vietnam | 848 | 23 | 97% |
| United States | 96 | 1 | 99% |
| France | 43 | 3 | 93% |
| Canada | 23 | 0 | 100% |
| Germany | 16 | 0 | 100% |
| Australia | 11 | 0 | 100% |
| Poland | 7 | 0 | 100% |
| Czechia | 5 | 0 | 100% |
| Hungary | 2 | 1 | 67% |
Wikidata covers notable people, so counts show how the name is used, not how many people carry it.
Nguyen in the United States
- As a surname: about 437,645 people in the 2010 census, rank 38 among US surnames.
- As a first name: 560 babies born between 1950 and 2017.
More on this naming tradition: How Vietnamese names work.
Related names
Tran · Le · Pham · Hoang · Bui · Ngo · Vu · Minh · Truong · Phan