Vietnamese American names
Vietnamese American families often keep a Vietnamese given name as a middle name while choosing an English first name for daily American life, or the reverse, holding onto both worlds at once. Names like Mai, Kevin Khang, or Linh Rose reflect a generation bridging two languages and two homes.
Amy beloved (a classic refugee-generation English name, chosen for daily American life alongside a Vietnamese home name)
An peace, safety (a crossover-easy unisex name common in both languages)
Andy manly, brave (short for Andrew); a common refugee-generation English name
Ane pure, holy (Vietnamese form of Agnes); a common Vietnamese Catholic baptismal name
Anh bright, intelligent; hero (an extremely common name element used alone)
Anna grace, favor (a common Vietnamese Catholic baptismal name)
Bao treasure, precious (a trendy modern unisex pick, easy for English speakers)
Bich jade green
Bruce from a Scottish surname, probably from the town of Brix; a common refugee-generation English name, its resonance amplified across the diaspora by Bruce Lee
Cathy pure (short for Catherine, a common refugee-generation English name)
Cecilia blind (a common Vietnamese Catholic baptismal name honoring Saint Cecilia)
Chau pearl
Chi branch, twig
Cuong strong, vigorous
Danny God is my judge (short for Daniel, a common refugee-generation English name)
Diana divine (a common refugee-generation English name)
Diem beautiful, gorgeous
Diep leaf, foliage
Dominic of the Lord (from Đaminh, a common Vietnamese Catholic baptismal name)
Duc virtue, moral integrity
Duong sun, ocean (also a common surname)
Gioan God is gracious (Vietnamese form of John)
Giuse Vietnamese form of Joseph ("God will add"), among the most common Catholic Vietnamese baptismal names
Hai sea
Han joy, delight
Helen light; a common refugee-generation English name
Henry estate ruler; a common refugee-generation English name
Hieu filial devotion, a core Confucian virtue
Hoa flower
Hoang royal, yellow (a common surname used as a given name)
Hung heroic, brave
Huong fragrance
Jenny fair one (a common refugee-generation English name)
Jimmy an old-school, all-American nickname for James (Hebrew Yaakov, 'supplanter'), a 1940s favorite; also taken up by Vietnamese refugee families for its easy, familiar sound
Judy praised (short for Judith); a common refugee-generation English name
Kevin handsome, beloved (a common refugee-generation English name, sometimes paired with Khoa)
Khai to open, to begin (sometimes spelled "Kai" in the U.S. for effortless crossover with the popular Western name)
Khang healthy, strong, prosperous
Khoa science, scholar
Kieu beautiful, elegant (from the classic epic poem Truyện Kiều)
Kim gold, golden (shared comfortably with the Western name Kim; many Vietnamese American women use it as their sole legal first name)
Lan orchid
Linda beautiful; a common refugee-generation English name
Linh soul, spirit
Loc fortune, prosperity
Loi thunder
Long dragon (spelled identically to the English word "long," a coincidence some families work around)
Luca from Lucania, southern Italy (a form of Luke); commonly used unchanged by Vietnamese Catholic families
Mai apricot or cherry blossom (one of the most enduringly kept Vietnamese names in the U.S.; short, simple, and needs no diacritics to read correctly in English)
Maria the Vietnamese Catholic community's most common baptismal name for girls, often used alongside a Vietnamese given name
Michael who is like God (a classic refugee-generation English/baptismal name)
Minh bright, intelligent (one of the most common Vietnamese American names kept as-is; short and easy for English speakers)
Monica of debated ancient origin; honoring Saint Monica, a common Vietnamese Catholic baptismal name
My beautiful (a name that happens to be a homophone of the Vietnamese word for "America"; a small bilingual coincidence diaspora families sometimes point out)
Nam south; man
Nga swan; elegant, graceful
Ngoc jewel, gem
Nhi little girl, little one (a common affectionate name ending)
Phanxico Vietnamese form of Francis ("Frenchman")
Phaolo small, humble (Vietnamese form of Paul)
Phero rock (Vietnamese form of Peter, a common Catholic baptismal name)
Phong wind; style, manner
Phuong phoenix
Quang bright, radiant
Quyen authority, right
Richard brave ruler; a common refugee-generation English name
Rosa rose; honoring Saint Rose, a common Vietnamese Catholic baptismal name
Son mountain
Suong mist, dew
Susan lily; a classic refugee-generation English name
Tam heart, mind
Teresa of uncertain ancient origin, possibly "to reap"; honoring Saint Teresa, a common Vietnamese Catholic baptismal name
Thang victory
Thanh clear, pure, accomplished (a common unisex name)
Thao grass, herb (connotes filial devotion)
Thien heavenly, divine
Thinh prosperous, thriving
Thu autumn
Thuy water; gentle
Tien fairy, angel
Tony short for Anthony, from the Roman name Antonius, of uncertain Etruscan origin; a classic refugee-generation English name often paired with Tuan or Toan
Trang elegant, serious
Truc bamboo
Trung loyal, faithful
Tuan handsome, intelligent (refugee-generation families often paired this with the English name Tony)
Tuyet snow
Vicky victory (short for Victoria, a common refugee-generation English name)
Vincent to conquer (a very common Vietnamese Catholic and refugee-generation English name)
Vinh eternal, prosperous
Vu rain (also a common surname)
Vy delicate, elegant
Xuan spring, the season
Yen peace, calm
Which of these fits YOUR family? →