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{{Short description|Vietnamese surname}}
{{About||the equivalent [[Chinese surname]] '阮'|Ruan (surname)|the dynasty|Nguyễn dynasty}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox surname
| name          = Nguyễn
| image         = RuanNguyen.png{{!}}class=skin-invert
| image_size    = 
| caption       = [[Chữ Hán]] for Nguyễn
| pronunciation = {{IPA|vi|ŋwiə̯n˧ˀ˥|label=Hanoi:}}<br/>{{IPA|vi|ŋwiə̯ŋ˧˩˧|label=Saigon:}}
| meaning       = 
| region        =
| language      = Vietnamese
| variant       = [[Ruan (surname)|Ruan]], [[Yuen (disambiguation)|Yuen]]
| clans         = 
| footnotes     = 
| nolinklanguage =
}}

'''Nguyễn''' ({{Chuhan|阮}}; sometimes abbreviated as '''Ng̃''') is the most common [[surname]] among [[Vietnamese people]]. Outside of Vietnam, the surname is commonly rendered without [[diacritic]]s as ''Nguyen''.{{Efn|If written without diacritics, "Nguyen" may be sometimes confused with "nguyên" or "Nguyên", which are respectively a different word and another given name.}}{{Efn|In French, "Nguyên" is an alternative spelling of Nguyen, both differing from the native Vietnamese spelling. "Nguyên" is sometimes used, since in French "ê" is graphically the closest character to "ễ".}} By some estimates 30 to 39 percent of Vietnamese people bear this [[surname]].<ref name="LTH">Lê Trung Hoa, ''Họ và tên người Việt Nam'', NXB Khoa học - Xã hội, 2005</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Vietnamese names |url=http://www.saigon.com/~nguyent/hoa_03.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080701111656/http://www.saigon.com/~nguyent/hoa_03.html |archive-date=1 July 2008}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Kelly |first=Maura |date=27 July 2011 |url=http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2011/07/nafissatou_and_amadou.html |title=Nafissatou and Amadou |work=Slate}}</ref>

==Origin and usage==
{{Lang|vi|Nguyễn}} is the transcription of the [[Sino-Vietnamese vocabulary|Sino-Vietnamese]] pronunciation of the character [[wikt:阮|阮]], which originally was used to write a name of a state in [[Gansu]] or  [[Ruan (instrument)|ruan]], an ancient Chinese instrument.<ref name="hanyu">{{cite encyclopedia| title = 阮| encyclopedia = Hanyu dacidian| volume = | pages = | publisher = Shanghai cishu chubanshe| date = 2011| id = | access-date =}}</ref><ref>[http://www.ibtimes.com/why-are-so-many-vietnamese-people-named-nguyen-1556359 "Why Are So Many Vietnamese People Named Nguyen?"] ''IB Times''.</ref> The same Chinese character is often romanized as {{Lang|cmn-latn|Ruǎn}} in [[Standard Chinese|Mandarin]] and as {{Lang|yue-latn|Yuen}} in [[Cantonese]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Why Are So Many Vietnamese People Named Nguyen?|url=https://www.ibtimes.com/why-are-so-many-vietnamese-people-named-nguyen-1556359 |website=International Business Times |date=18 February 2014}}</ref>
[[File:Ho VN ngyuen.jpg|thumb]]
The first recorded mention of a person surnamed Nguyễn is a description dating AD 317, of a journey to [[Jiaozhou (region)|Jiaozhou]] undertaken by [[Eastern Jin dynasty]] officer [[Nguyễn Phu]] and his family. Many events in Vietnamese history have contributed to the name's prominence. In 1232, after usurping the [[Lý dynasty]], [[Trần Thủ Độ]] forced the descendants of the Lý to change their surname to Nguyễn. When [[Hồ Quý Ly]] overturned the [[Trần dynasty]], he killed many of their descendants so when the [[Hồ dynasty]] collapsed in 1407, many of his descendants changed their surname to Nguyễn in fear of retribution.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Lê |first=Hiền |date=10 February 2023 |title=How Vietnamese Surname 'Nguyễn' Became One of the Most Popular Surnames in the World |url=https://vietcetera.com/en/how-vietnamese-surname-nguyen-became-one-of-the-most-popular-surnames-in-the-world |website=Vietcetera |quote=According to a study by the Faculty of Literature, VNU HCMC, changing surnames to 'Nguyễn' was quite common among the descendants of the dethroned dynasties. The main purpose was to change the identity and avoid revenge on the ruling family before or after. Typically, when the Hồ Dynasty collapsed in 1407, the descendants were afraid of revenge by the Trần descendants (because Hồ Quý Ly had overturned the Trần dynasty before), so they changed their surnames to Nguyễn.}}</ref> In 1592, on the collapse of the [[Mạc dynasty]], their descendants changed their surname to Nguyễn. In late 16th century, the Tư Mã clan from Thanh Hóa changed to Nguyễn and settled in [[Cochinchina]].{{Citation needed|date=January 2019}} When the [[Nguyễn dynasty]] (the descendants of the [[Nguyễn Lords]]) took power in 1802, some of the descendants of the [[Trịnh Lords]] fearing retribution changed their surname to Nguyễn, while others fled north into China.<ref name=":0" />[[File:Vietnamese 承祀碑.jpg|thumb|A Vietnamese stele from 1699 during the [[Lê dynasty]], recording the names of those to inherit the duty of ancestral worship and clan rituals. A majority of the people listed have the surname {{vi-nom|阮}} Nguyễn.]]

==Overseas Vietnamese usage==
The prevalence of Nguyễn as a family name in Vietnam extends to outside the country, due to numerous and widespread [[Overseas Vietnamese|Vietnamese emigrants]]. Outside Vietnam, the surname is commonly rendered without diacritics, as ''Nguyen''. Nguyen was the seventh most common family name in Australia in 2006<ref>{{cite web | author=The Age | title=Nguyens keeping up with the Joneses | url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/whats-in-a-name/2006/09/04/1157222045836.html |date=4 September 2006| access-date=9 September 2006}}</ref> (second only to [[Smith (surname)|Smith]] in [[Melbourne]] phone books<ref>{{cite web | author=Melbourne City Council | title=City of Melbourne - Multicultural Communities - Vietnamese | url=http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/info.cfm?top=100&pg=918 | access-date=27 November 2006 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061004004112/http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/info.cfm?top=100&pg=918 | archive-date=4 October 2006 }}</ref>), and the 54th most common in France.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/noms/1/1/france.shtml|title=Les noms de famille les plus portés France|website=www.journaldesfemmes.com}}</ref> It was the 41st most common surname in Norway in 2020<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ssb.no/en/statbank/table/12891/tableViewSorted/|author=Statistics Norway|title=Top 200 last names|access-date=23 April 2021|author-link=Statistics Norway}}</ref> and tops the foreign name list in the [[Czech Republic]].<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.novinky.cz/domaci/115204-zebricky-nejcastejsich-jmen-vedou-novaci-a-nguyenove.html |title= Žebříčky nejčastějších jmen vedou Nováci a Nguyenové |date= 17 May 2007 |access-date= 7 November 2007 |publisher= [[Novinky]] |language= cs}}</ref> Because most Icelanders use [[Patronymic surname|patronymic surnames]] Nguyen is the most common hereditary family name in Iceland.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nguyen algengasta ættarnafnið á Íslandi |url=https://www.mbl.is/frettir/innlent/2025/03/26/nguyen_algengasta_aettarnafnid_a_islandi/ |access-date=2025-11-16 |website=www.mbl.is |language=is}}</ref>

In the United States, Nguyen is the 38th most-common surname and is shared by more than 437,000 individuals,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/topics/population/genealogy/data/2010_surnames.html|title=Frequently Occurring Surnames from the 2010 Census}}</ref> according to the [[2010 United States census|2010 Census]]; it was the 57th and 229th most-common surname, respectively, in the [[2000 United States census|2000]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/topics/population/genealogy/data/2000_surnames.html|title=Frequently Occurring Surnames from the 2000 Census}}</ref> and [[1990 United States census|1990]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/topics/genealogy/1990surnames/dist.all.last|title=Frequently Occurring Surnames from Census 1990 – Names Files}}</ref> censuses. It is also the most common exclusively East Asian surname.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Asian & Pacific Islander Data |url=https://probablyhelpful.com/data/asian_pacific_islander.html |website=Probably Helpful}}</ref> It is ranked 124th in the U.S. Social Security Index.<ref>[[Public Broadcasting Service|PBS]], ''[https://www.pbs.org/cgi-registry/pov/sweetestsound/poirot?file=names&name=Nguyen POV: The Sweetest Sound: Popularity Index]{{dead link|date=June 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}''</ref> Nguyen was the 57th most common surname in the whole of Australia in 2022.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Most Common Australian Surnames & Meanings|url=https://forebears.io/australia/surnames|access-date=4 January 2022|website=forebears.io}}</ref>

== Subfamilies ==
{{more citations needed|date=August 2013}}
In Vietnamese tradition, people are referred to by their personal names and not by their family names even in formal situations. However, some groups distinguish themselves from other Nguyễn by passing elements of their names that are usually considered middle names to their children. This practice is more common with male than with female children. Some of the prominent subgroups within the Nguyễn family are:

* [[House of Nguyễn Phúc|Nguyễn Phước or Nguyễn Phúc (阮福)]]: Surname for the [[Nguyễn Lords]] family members, and all members of the [[Nguyễn dynasty]] emperors.
* Nguyễn Đình {{vi-nom|阮廷}}
* Nguyễn Hữu {{vi-nom|阮有}}
* Nguyễn Cảnh {{vi-nom|阮景}}
* Nguyễn Khắc {{vi-nom|阮克}}
* Nguyễn Tiến {{vi-nom|阮進}}
* Nguyễn Đức {{vi-nom|阮德}}
* Nguyễn Minh {{vi-nom|阮明}}
* Nguyễn Thanh {{vi-nom|阮清}}
* Nguyễn Ngọc {{vi-nom|阮玉}}
* Nguyễn Văn {{vi-nom|阮文}}
* Nguyễn Quang {{vi-nom|阮光}}
* Nguyễn Xuân {{vi-nom|阮春}}
* Nguyễn Huy {{vi-nom|阮輝}}
* Nguyễn Hoàng {{vi-nom|阮黃}}
* [[Tôn Thất]] {{vi-nom|尊室}} (Tôn Nữ {{vi-nom|尊女}} for females): surname for members of the [[Nguyễn dynasty]] royal family that were not direct descendants of the Emperor.

== Pronunciation ==
{{See also|Vietnamese phonology}}

The Vietnamese pronunciation is {{IPA|vi|ŋwiən˦ˀ˥||Nguyen (northern dialect).ogg}} in Northern dialect or {{IPA|vi|ŋwiəŋ˨˩˦||Nguyen.ogg}} in Southern dialect, in both cases, in one syllable. {{IPA|[ŋ]}} is the [[velar nasal]] found in the middle of the English word ''si'''ng'''er''.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Bac Hoai Tran |author2=Ha Minh Nguyen |author3=Tuan Duc Vuong |year=2012 |title=Colloquial Vietnamese: The Complete Course for Beginners |publisher=Routledge |page=4 |isbn=978-1-136-68286-5 |oclc=823723353 |quote=The combination of consonants ng often comes at the beginning of a word, as in the surname Nguyễn, and it is one of the other difficulties (fortunately there are not many) that Vietnamese consonants pose.}}</ref> {{IPA|[w]}} is the [[semivowel]] found in the English word '''''w'''in''. {{IPA|[iə]}} is a [[Diphthong#Types of diphthongs|rising diphthong]], the sound of which is similar to the diphthong {{IPA|/ɪə/}} found in the British English [[Received Pronunciation]] of ''ear''. Finally, {{IPA|[n]}} occurs in the English word '''''n'''et''.

Furthermore, in Vietnamese Nguyễn is also pronounced with a [[tone (linguistics)|tone]]. In Southern Vietnam, it is pronounced with the dipping tone: the pitch of the voice first drops from a mid-level to the bottom of the speaker's range of pitch and then rises back to mid. In Northern Vietnam, it is pronounced with the [[Creaky voice|creaky]] rising tone: the pitch of the voice rises from mid-level to the top of the speaker's range of pitch, but with constricted vocal cords, akin to a [[glottal stop]] in the middle of the vowel.

Common pronunciations by English speakers include {{IPAc-en|w|ɪ|n}} {{respell|win}},<ref name=win1>{{cite news |url=http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/opinion/abox/article_1575130.php |title=Either way, in the 1st district, it's a Nguyen for taxpayers |work=[[The Orange County Register]] |location=California |date=11 February 2007 |access-date=22 February 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006121538/http://www.ocregister.com/opinion/-54091--.html |archive-date=6 October 2014}}</ref><ref name="win2">{{cite news |url=http://blogs.ocregister.com/buzz/2007/02/nguyennguyen_situation.html |title=Nguyen-Nguyen situation |work=Orange County Register |department=''Total Buzz'' (blog) |date=7 February 2007 |access-date=22 February 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070303073913/http://blogs.ocregister.com/buzz/2007/02/nguyennguyen_situation.html |archive-date=3 March 2007}}</ref> {{IPAc-en|n|uː|ˈ|j|ɛ|n}} {{respell|noo|YEN}} and {{IPAc-en|ˈ|n|j|uː|ə|n}} {{respell|NEW|ən}}.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sharwood |first1=Anthony |title=Pronouncing this name right is a Nguyen Nguyen situation |url=https://www.news.com.au/national/pronouncing-this-name-right-is-a-nguyen-nguyen-situation/news-story/f9802c908958f23a453dfea0432074f0 |website=news.com.au |publisher=News Corp |access-date=20 November 2023}}</ref>

==Changes of family name==
[[File:Changing surname from Vũ to Nguyễn.png|thumb|A [[genealogy book]] of the Nguyễn Tựu family records that their surname was originally Vũ (武) but was later changed to Nguyễn (阮) due to Lê dynasty regulations. [Because of that, they changed the surname Vũ to Nguyễn. (因丕買𢬭武𫜵阮; Nhân vậy mới đổi Vũ làm Nguyễn)]]There have been various points in Vietnam's history at which people have changed their family name to Nguyễn.
When the [[Lý dynasty]] fell in 1232, [[Trần Thủ Độ]], who orchestrated its overthrow, forced descendants of the Lý dynasty to adopt the name due to the [[naming taboo]] surrounding Trần Lý, grandfather to emperor [[Trần Cảnh]].

From 457 to [[Hồ Quý Ly]] (1401), in Hải Dương and a part of [[Haiphong]] today there is the district of the Phí family (Vietnamese: {{lang|vi|huyện Phí Gia}}). At the end of the Lý and the [[Trần dynasty]] there were many people who changed their names to Nguyễn and Nguyễn Phí. By the [[Lê dynasty]], the court changed the name of the district to Kim Thành.

When the [[Mạc dynasty]] fell in 1592, their descendants changed their family name to Nguyễn.

[[Trần Quang Diệu]] (like his wife [[Bùi Thị Xuân]]) worked as a major officer for the [[Tây Sơn dynasty]], against [[Nguyễn Ánh]]. After the Tây Sơn dynasty was defeated, his children adopted various names or changed names (one of them into Nguyễn) in order to flee retaliation.

Contrary to the popular belief that Vietnamese rulers have allowed courtiers to adopt their family name as a sign of loyalty, it was in fact a serious taboo to assume the imperial surname without legitimate lineage. Individuals who improperly adopted the imperial surname could face severe penalties, including forced name changes, removal from public office, exile, or even [[Lingchi|capital punishment]]. This policy was rooted in the [[naming taboo]] tradition, and was explicitly reaffirmed through imperial edicts. This popular myth is often used to explain the high prevalence of the surname Nguyễn in modern Vietnam, attributing it to the influence of the Nguyễn dynasty (1802–1945) as the country's last dynasty. However, the surname of the ruling dynasty was [[House of Nguyễn Phúc|Nguyễn Phúc]] (阮褔), not only Nguyễn (阮).

In 1841, [[Nguyễn Văn Tường]] (阮文祥), originally named Nguyễn Phúc Tường (阮褔祥), participated in the [[Confucian court examination system in Vietnam|civil examination]].<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://lib.nomfoundation.org/collection/1/volume/341/page/21 |title=Quốc triều hương khoa lục 國朝鄉科錄 |volume=3 |page=21 |quote=阮文祥 原名阮褔祥以名同}}</ref> Emperor [[Thiệu Trị]] (紹治) ordered his name be removed from the list of graduates, changed it to Nguyễn Văn Tường, and handed him over to the [[Censorate]] for punishment. As a result, Tường was sentenced to one year in exile.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Phạm |first=Xuân Dũng |date=28 November 2024 |title=Nguyễn Văn Tường - Nỗi oan khiên thế kỷ - Kỳ 1: Tú tài phạm húy và nghi vấn con vua |url=https://tuoitre.vn/nguyen-van-tuong-noi-oan-khien-the-ky-ky-1-tu-tai-pham-huy-va-nghi-van-con-vua-20241128081700714.htm |website=Tuổi Trẻ |quote=Nguyễn Văn Tường quê ở Quảng Trị. Năm 1842, vừa tròn 18 tuổi, ông lều chõng tham gia kỳ thi tại Thừa Thiên và đỗ tú tài, nhưng bị phát hiện họ tên trùng quốc tính/họ vua (Nguyễn Phước Tường) nên mắc tội đồ (đày đi gần) một năm.}}</ref> Additionally, the education officials at the provincial, prefectural, and district levels, as well as officials of the Imperial Academy, examination officials, the Ministry of Rites, and the Censorate were all demoted and punished accordingly.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Trương |first=Đăng Quế |title=大南寔錄正編第三紀}}</ref>

Here is an excerpt from [[Đại Nam thực lục|Veritable Records of the Great South]] ({{lang-vi-hantu|大南寔錄}}; Đại Nam thực lục):{{Blockquote|text={{lang|lzh|承天場秀才冊有阮福祥者，帝惡其冒用國姓，命革去秀才名籍，改爲阮文祥，交都察院治罪。…省、府、縣學臣，監臣、場官、禮部，竝都察院，各分別降罰。}}{{pb}}Thừa Thiên trường tú tài sách hữu Nguyễn Phúc Tường giả, đế ố kỳ mạo dụng quốc tính, mệnh cách khứ tú tài danh tịch, cải vi Nguyễn Văn Tường, Giao Đô Sát viện trị tội... Tỉnh, phủ, huyện học thần, giám thần, trường quan, Lễ bộ, tịnh Đô Sát viện, các phân biệt giáng phạt.{{pb}}In the Thừa Thiên examination licentiate register, there was a person named Nguyễn Phúc Tường (阮福祥). The emperor detested his illegal usage of the dynastic surname (阮福), and ordered that his licentiate registration be stripped, his name changed to Nguyễn Văn Tường (阮文祥), and that he be handed over to the Censorate for punishment... The provincial, prefectural, and county education officials, the academy officials, examination officers, the Ministry of Rites, and the Censorate, each received punishments of differing degrees.|author=|source=volume 22 卷之二十二 (Third Chronicle)|title=Đại Nam thực lục 大南寔錄}}

==Notable people==
{{Main|List of people with surname Nguyễn}}

People with the name include:
*Heads of state ([[Nguyễn Minh Triết]], [[Nguyễn Phú Trọng]], [[Nguyễn Xuân Phúc]], [[Nguyễn Xí]], [[Nguyễn lords]], [[Tây Sơn dynasty]], [[Nguyễn dynasty]], [[Nguyễn Văn Thiệu]], [[Nguyễn Văn Xuân]], [[Nguyễn Ngọc Thơ]], [[Nguyễn Cao Kỳ]]...)
*Poets ([[Nguyễn Trãi]], [[Nguyễn Du]], [[Nguyễn Đình Chiểu]], [[Nguyễn Khoa Điềm]], [[ Nguyen Do]]...)
*Catholic clergymen ([[Nguyễn Văn Thuận]])
*Writers ([[Viet Thanh Nguyen]])
*Scientists ([[Nam-Trung Nguyen]])
*Composers, actors ([[Dustin Nguyen]])
*Models ([[Nguyễn Thúc Thùy Tiên]])
*Professional poker players ([[Scotty Nguyen]])
*Professional [[American football]] player ([[Dat Nguyen]])
*Professional [[Association football|footballer]] ([[Lee Nguyen]])
*Professional [[Badminton World Federation]] player [[Nguyễn Tiến Minh]]
[[Ho Chi Minh|Hồ Chí Minh]] was born Nguyễn Sinh Cung and used various names with the surname Nguyễn throughout his career ({{lang|vi|Nguyễn Tất Thành}}, {{lang|vi|Nguyễn Ái Quốc}}). He was not known as Hồ Chí Minh until late in his life.

== Explanatory notes ==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em|refs=

<!-- Not in use
<ref name="bbcasia">{{cite web| url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-23501757 | title= Vietnam: Where saying 'I love you' is impossible | work= [[BBC News]] | date= 28 August 2013 | access-date=29 August 2013| quote= Pronunciation is fiendishly tricky for foreigners with the combination of "ng", tricky vowels and unfamiliar tones. The best that most of us can manage is "nwee-yen" or even just "win".}}</ref>
Not in use-->

}}

==External links==
{{Wiktionary|Nguyễn}}

{{surnames}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nguyen}}
[[Category:Vietnamese-language surnames]]
[[Category:Surnames of Vietnamese origin]]