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{{short description|Traditional naming system in Vietnam}} <!-- "none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive; see [[WP:SDNONE]] -->
{{for|toponyms|Place names of Vietnam}}{{More citations needed|date=June 2025}}{{Expand Vietnamese|Tên người Việt Nam|date=January 2016}}
Traditional '''Vietnamese personal names''' generally consist of three parts, used in [[Personal name#Eastern name order|Eastern name order]].

* A [[family name]] (normally [[patrilineal]], although [[matrilineality]] is possible).
* A group of [[given name]] included:
** An optional [[middle name]] (normally a single name, some have no middle name).
** A personal name (normally single name, some have multiple names, mostly [[double name]]).

However, not every name is conformant. For example:
* ''[[Nguyễn Trãi]]'' has his family name ''[[Nguyen|Nguyễn]]'' and his personal name is ''Trãi''. He does not have any middle name.
* ''[[Phạm Bình Minh]]'' has his family name ''[[Phạm]]'' and his personal name is ''Bình Minh'' ({{Literal translation|[[dawn]]}}). He does not have any middle name.
*''[[Nguyễn Văn Quyết]]'' has his family name ''Nguyễn'', his middle name is ''Văn'' and his personal name is ''Quyết'' ({{Literal translation|decide}}).
* ''[[Nguyễn Ngọc Trường Sơn]]'' has his family name ''Nguyễn'', his middle name is ''Ngọc'' ({{Literal translation|[[gemstone]]}}) and his personal name is ''Trường Sơn'' ({{Literal translation|long mountain}})
* ''[[Lâm Thị Mỹ Dạ]]'' has her family name is ''[[Lâm]]'', her middle name is ''Thị'' and her personal name is ''Mỹ Dạ'' ({{Literal translation|beautiful night}}). Her husband, ''Hoàng Phủ Ngọc Tường'' (a Vietnamese poet),<ref>{{Cite web|publisher=V. T. V. News|date=2019-04-06|title=Trinh Cong Son's music connects people|url=https://english.vtv.vn/news/trinh-cong-son-s-music-connects-people-20190415134037689.htm|access-date=2021-06-23|website=english.vtv.vn|language=vi}}</ref> has his family name is [[Huangfu|''Hoàng Phủ'']] (natural [[compound family name]]), his middle name is ''Ngọc'' and his personal name is ''Tường'' ({{Literal translation|deep understanding}}). His family name is usually confused with ''[[Hoàng]]'', leading to their two daughters are named as ''Hoàng Dạ Thi'' and ''Hoàng Dạ Thư'' instead of ''Hoàng Phủ Dạ Thi'' and ''Hoàng Phủ Dạ Thư''.
* ''[[Trần Lê Quốc Toàn]]'' has his compound family name combined from ''[[Trần]]'' (from his father) and [[Le (surname)|''Lê'']] (from his mother), his middle name is ''Quốc'' ({{Literal translation|country}}) and his personal name is ''Toàn'' ({{Literal translation|fully}}).

The "family name first" written order is usual throughout the East Asian cultural sphere or [[Sinosphere]]; but "middle names" are less common in [[Chinese name|Chinese]], [[Korean name]]s, and uncommon in [[Japanese name]]s. Persons can be referred to by the whole name, the personal name, or [[Vietnamese pronouns#Kinship terms|a hierarchic pronoun]], which usually connotes a degree of family relationship or kinship – but referring via the personal name is most common, as well as if degree of family relationship or kinship is unknown. In more informal contexts or in the Western world, the personal name can be written first then family name e.g. ''Châu Bùi'' or ''Thanh Trần''.

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 [[diacritic]]s are dropped, as is commonly done outside Vietnam (e.g. [[Duan (surname)|''Đoàn'']] ({{IPA|vi|ɗʷà:n|}}) vs [[Yǐn (surname)|''Doãn'']] ({{IPA|vi|zʷǎ:ˀn|}}), both become ''Doan'' when diacritics are omitted). Additionally, some Vietnamese names can only be differentiated via context or with their corresponding [[chữ Hán]], such as 南 ("south") or 男 ("men", "boy"), both are read as ''Nam''. Anyone applying for Vietnamese nationality must also adopt a Vietnamese name.<ref>[https://www.justlanded.com/english/Vietnam/Vietnam-Guide/Visas-Permits/How-to-become-a-Vietnamese-citizen Viet name is mandatory for citizenship]</ref> Vietnamese names have corresponding Hán character [[Calque|adopted]] early on during [[Vietnam under Chinese rule|Chinese rule]]. Vietnamese script is fully transliterated (romanized), because the previous script, [[chữ Nôm]], was replaced by ''[[chữ Quốc ngữ]]'', which was made compulsory during the [[French Indochina|French colonial era]].

== Surnames ==
{{Main|:vi:H%E1%BB%8D_ng%C6%B0%E1%BB%9Di_Vi%E1%BB%87t_Nam|l1 = Họ người Việt Nam}}

The surname or family name (tên họ) is positioned first and is passed on by the father to his children in a traditionally [[Patrilineal|patrilineal order]], but exceptions are possible. It is estimated that there are around 100 family names in common use, but some are far more common than others. The name ''[[Nguyễn]]'' was estimated to be the most common (40%) in 2005.<ref>Huy Quoc To, Kiet Van Nguyen, Anh Gia-Tuan Nguyen, Ngan Luu-Thuy Nguyen, ''Gender Prediction Based on Vietnamese Names with Machine Learning Techniques'', https://arxiv.org/abs/2010.10852</ref> The reason the top three names are so common is that people tended to take the family names of emperors, to show loyalty to particular dynasties in history. Over many generations, those family names became permanent.

=== History ===
Some scholars argue that all Vietnamese surnames are of Chinese origin, introduced during the thousand-year [[Vietnam under Chinese rule|Chinese occupation of Vietnam]], which began in 111 BCE with the [[Han dynasty|Han Dynasty]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Nguyen |first=Viet Khoa |date=2024-02-05 |title=Toward an Onomastic Account of Vietnamese Surnames |journal=Genealogy |language=en |volume=8 |issue=1 |pages=16 |doi=10.3390/genealogy8010016 |doi-access=free |issn=2313-5778}}</ref> Prior to this, evidence of distinct Vietnamese family names is scarce due to a lack of written records.<ref name=":0" /> An alternative view suggests that Vietnamese surnames include both indigenous names and those borrowed from [[Chinese culture]].<ref name=":0" /> 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").<ref name=":0" /> 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.<ref name=":0" /> For example, during the [[Trần dynasty]], individuals with the surname Lý (from the overthrown Lý dynasty) were ordered to change their surname to Nguyễn.<ref name=":0" /> The [[Nguyễn dynasty]] (1802-1945) further contributed to the prevalence of the Nguyễn surname.<ref name=":0" /> Additionally, surnames were sometimes changed to evade taxes, avoid penalties, or adhere to royal name taboos.<ref name=":0" />

Vietnamese surnames also have origins from other ethnic groups, including [[Hoa people|Chinese]] (''Khổng, Lưu, Trương''), [[Khmer people|Khmer]] (''Thạch, Sơn''), [[Chams|Cham]] (''Chế, Chiêm''), and various ethnic minorities (''Linh, Giáp, Ma'').<ref name=":0" />

=== Common family names ===
The following are the most common family names among Vietnamese, with their [[Vietnamese alphabet|''chữ Quốc ngữ'']] spelling, and their corresponding Hán-Nôm characters, which are now obsolete.<ref>Lê Trung Hoa, ''Họ Và Tên Người Việt Nam'' (''Vietnamese Family and Personal Names''), Social Sciences Publishing House (2005) {{cite web|url=http://www.minhkhai.com.vn/Search.aspx?s%3DH%E1%BB%8D+V%C3%A0+T%C3%AAn+Ng%C6%B0%E1%BB%9Di+Vi%E1%BB%87t+Nam |title=::Minh Khai Book Store |access-date=March 26, 2014 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080131062351/http://www.minhkhai.com.vn/Search.aspx?s=H%E1%BB%8D%20V%C3%A0%20T%C3%AAn%20Ng%C6%B0%E1%BB%9Di%20Vi%E1%BB%87t%20Nam |archivedate=January 31, 2008 }}</ref> The figures are from a 2022 study ''100 họ phổ biến ở Việt Nam'' (100 Most Popular Surnames/Family Names 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.

{{Pie chart
| thumb =
| radius =
| caption = Distribution of common Vietnamese surnames, 2022
| footer = Source: ''Thống kê họ người Việt theo tỷ lệ % dân số 2022''
| label1 = Nguyễn | value1 = 31.5 | color1 = #1b7837
| label2 = Trần | value2 = 10.9 | color2 = #7fbf7b
| label3 = Lê | value3 = 8.9 | color3 = #d9f0d3
| label4 = Phạm | value4 = 5.9 | color4 = #762a83
| label5 = Hoàng / Huỳnh | value5 = 5.1 | color5 = #af8dc3
| label6 = Vũ / Võ | value6 = 4.9 | color6 = #e7d4e8
| label7 = Phan | value7 = 2.8 | color7 = #d73027
| label8 = Trương | value8 = 2.2 | color8 = #fc8d59
| label9 = Bùi | value9 = 2.1 | color9 = #fee090
| label10 = Đặng | value10 = 1.9 | color10 = #4575b4
| label11 = Đỗ | value11 = 1.9 | color11 = #91bfdb
| label12 = Ngô | value12 = 1.7 | color12 = #e0f3f8
| label13 = Hồ | value13 = 1.5 | color13 = #ADD8E6
| label14 = Dương | value14 = 1.4 | color14 = #1b7837
| label15 = Đinh | value15 = 1.0 | color15 = #7fbf7b
| other-label = Other | other = 11.2 | other-color = #fff
}}

{| class="wikitable"
|+Frequency of Vietnamese surnames
!Rank
!Surname/Family name
!Chữ Hán-Nôm
!Percentage (2022)
!Percentage (2005)
|-
|1
|[[Nguyen|Nguyễn]]
|{{lang|vi-Hani|阮}}
|31.5%
|38.4%
|-
|2
|[[Trần]]
|{{lang|vi-Hani|陳}}
|10.9%
|10.3%
|-
|3
|[[Lê]]
|{{lang|vi-Hani|黎}}
|8.9%
|8.2%
|-
|4
|[[Phạm]]
|{{lang|vi-Hani|范}}
|5.9%
|6.7%
|-
|5
|[[Hoàng]] / [[Huỳnh]]
|{{lang|vi-Hani|黃}}
|5.1%
|5.5%
|-
|6
|[[Vũ|Vũ / Võ]]
|{{lang|vi-Hani|武}}
|4.9%
|3.4%
|-
|7
|[[Phan (surname)|Phan]]
|{{lang|vi-Hani|潘}}
|2.8%
|4%
|-
|8
|[[Trương]]
|{{lang|vi-Hani|張}}
|2.2%
|
|-
|9
|[[Bùi]]
|{{lang|vi-Hani|裴}}
|2.1%
|2.5%
|-
|10
|[[Đặng]]
|{{lang|vi-Hani|鄧}}
|1.9%
|3.1%
|-
|11
|[[Đỗ]]
|{{lang|vi-Hani|杜}}
|1.9%
|2.1%
|-
|12
|[[Ngô]]
|{{lang|vi-Hani|吳}}
|1.7%
|1.3%
|-
|13
|[[Hồ (surname)|Hồ]]
|{{lang|vi-Hani|胡}}
|1.5%
|1.3%
|-
|14
|[[Dương]]
|{{lang|vi-Hani|楊}}
|1.4%
|1%
|-
|15
|[[Dinh (surname)|Đinh]]
|{{lang|vi-Hani|丁}}
|1.0%
|
|-
|
|Other
|
|16.3%
|11.7%
|}

{{Pie chart
| thumb =
| radius = 
| caption = Distribution of common Vietnamese surnames, 2005
| footer = 
| label1 = Nguyễn | value1 = 38.4 | color1 = #1b7837
| label2 = Trần | value2 = 10.3 | color2 = #7fbf7b
| label3 = Lê | value3 = 8.2 | color3 = #d9f0d3
| label4 = Phạm | value4 = 6.7 | color4 = #762a83
| label5 = Hoàng / Huỳnh | value5 = 5.5 | color5 = #af8dc3
| label6 = Phan | value6 = 4.0 | color6 = #d73027
| label7 = Vũ / Võ | value7 = 3.4 | color7 = #e7d4e8
| label8 = Đặng | value8 = 3.1 | color8 = #4575b4
| label9 = Bùi | value9 = 2.5 | color9 = #fee090
| label10 = Đỗ | value10 = 2.1 | color10 = #91bfdb
| label11 = Hồ | value11 = 1.3 | color11 = #91bfdb
| label12 = Ngô | value12 = 1.3 | color12 = #e0f3f8
| label13 = Dương | value13 = 1.0 | color13 = #1b7837
| label14 = Lý | value14 = 0.5 | color14 = #d9f0d3
| other = 1.7 | other-color = #fff | other-label = Other
}}

The following list includes less-common surnames in alphabetical order which make up the other 10% (2005), now 16.3% (2022):

=== Other ===
{{Div col|colwidth=10em}}
* [[Ai (surname)|Ái]]: 愛
* [[An (surname)|An]]: 安
* [[Yīn (surname)|Ân]]: 殷
* [[Bai (surname)|Bạch]]: 白
* [[Peng (surname)|Bành]]: 彭
* [[Bao (surname)#List of people with surname 包|Bao]]: 包
* [[Bian (surname)|Biên]]: 邊
* [[Bian (surname)|Biện]]: 卞
* Cam: 甘
* [[Geng (surname)|Cảnh]]: 耿
* [[Jing (surname)|Cảnh]]: 景
* [[Cao (Vietnamese surname)|Cao]]: 高
* [[:vi:Cái (họ)|Cái]]: 蓋
* [[Cát]]: 葛
* [[Zhen (surname)|Chân]]: 甄
* [[Zhou (surname)|Châu]]: 周
* [[Zhan (surname)#List of people with the surname 詹|Chiêm]]: 詹
* [[Zhu (surname)|Chu]]: 朱
* [[Zhong (surname)|Chung]]: 鍾
* Chử: 褚
* [[Gu (surname)|Cổ]]: 古
* Cù: 瞿
* [[Gong (surname)|Cung]]: 宮
* [[Gong (surname)#Surname Gong 龔, 共|Cung]]: 龔
* [[Gong (surname)#Surname Gong 鞏, 巩|Củng]]: 鞏
* [[Qiú#裘(Qiú)|Cừu]]: 裘
* [[Yi (surname 易)|Dịch]]: 易
* [[Ye (surname)|Diệp]]: 葉
* [[Yǐn (surname)|Doãn]]: 尹
* [[Yu (Chinese surname)#Surname Yu (俞)|Dũ]]: 俞
* [[Rong (surname)|Dung]]: 容
* [[Yu (Chinese surname)#Surname Yu (余)|Dư]]: 余
* [[Yu (Chinese surname)#Others|Dữu]]: 庾
* [[Dai (surname)|Đái]]: 戴
* [[Tan (surname)|Đàm]]: 譚
* [[Tao (surname)|Đào]]: 陶
* [[Dou (surname)|Đậu]]: 竇
* [[Tian (surname)|Điền]]: 田
* [[Dīng (surname)|Đinh]]: 丁
* [[Duan (surname)|Đoàn]]: 段
* [[Đồ]]: 涂
* [[Tong (surname)#童 the Tong|Đồng]]: 童
* [[Dǒng|Đổng]]: 董
* [[Táng (surname)|Đường]]: 唐
* [[Jia (surname)|Giả]]: 賈
* Giải: 解
* [[Zhuge|Gia Cát]] :諸葛
* [[Jian (surname)|Giản]]: 簡
* [[Jiang (江) (surname)|Giang]]: 江
* Giáp: 郟
* [[He (surname)|Hà]]: 何
* [[He (surname)|Hạ]]: 賀
* [[Xia (surname)|Hạ]]: 夏
* [[Hao (surname)|Hác]]: 郝
* [[Han (Chinese surname)|Hàn]]: 韓
* [[Hou (surname)|Hầu]]: 侯
* [[Xing (surname)|Hình]]: 邢
* [[Hua (surname)#Huā (花)|Hoa]]: 花
* [[Huo|Hoắc]]: 霍
* [[Hoạn]]: 宦
* [[Hong (Chinese surname)|Hồng]]: 洪
* [[Xu (surname 許)|Hứa]]: 許
* [[Xiang (surname)|Hướng]]: 向
* [[Xi (surname)|Hy]]: 郗
* [[Ke (surname)|Kha]]: 柯
* [[Qiū (surname)|Khâu]]: 邱
* [[Kong (surname)|Khổng]]: 孔
* [[Khuất]]: 屈
* [[Qiao (surname)|Kiều]]: 喬
* [[Jin (Chinese surname)|Kim]]: 金
* [[Qi (surname)#Qí (祁) surname|Kỳ]]: 祁
* [[Ji (surname 纪)|Kỷ]]: 紀
* [[Luo (surname)|La]]: 羅
* [[Luo (surname)|Lạc]]: 駱
* [[Lai (Chinese surname)|Lại]]: 賴
* [[Lan (surname 蓝)|Lam]]: 藍
* [[Ling (surname)#Chinese|Lăng]]: 凌
* [[Leng (surname)|Lãnh]]: 冷
* [[Lin (surname)|Lâm]]: 林
* Lận: 藺
* [[Li (surname 酈)|Lệ]]: 酈
* [[Lian (surname)|Liên]]: 連
* [[Liao (surname)|Liêu]]: 廖
* [[Liễu]]: 柳 (in northern or central regions)
* [[Long (surname 龍)|Long]]: 龍
* [[Lei (surname)|Lôi]]: 雷
* [[Lu (surname 陸)|Lục]]: 陸
* [[Lu (surname 盧)|Lư]]: 盧
* [[Lü (surname)|Lữ]]: 呂
* [[Liang (surname)|Lương]]: 梁
* [[Lưu]]: 劉  (in central or southern regions)
* [[Ma (surname)|Mã]]: 馬
* [[Mac (surname)|Mạc]]: 莫
* [[Mai (Chinese surname)|Mạch]]: 麥
* [[Mai (surname)|Mai]]: 梅
* [[Meng (surname)|Mạnh]]: 孟
* [[Mao (surname)|Mao]]: 毛
* [[Min (surname)|Mẫn]]: 閔
* [[Miao (surname 苗)|Miêu]]: 苗
* [[Ming (surname)|Minh]]: 明
* [[Mông]]: 蒙
* [[Ngân]]: 鄞
* [[Ni (surname)|Nghê]]: 倪
* [[Yan (surname)#严 (嚴)|Nghiêm]]: 嚴
* [[Yu (Chinese surname)#Others|Ngư]]: 魚
* [[Niu (surname)#Surname Niu (牛)|Ngưu]]: 牛
* [[Yue (surname)|Nhạc]]: 岳
* [[Yan (surname)#颜 (顏)|Nhan]]: 顔
* [[Ren (surname)|Nhâm]]: 任
* [[Nie (surname)|Nhiếp]]: 聶
* [[Rao (Chinese surname)|Nhiều]]: 饒
* [[Rong (surname)|Nhung]]: 戎
* [[Ning (surname)|Ninh]]: 寧 & 甯
* [[Nông (surname)|Nông]]: 農
* [[Wen (surname 溫)|Ôn]]: 溫
* [[Ổn]]: 鄔
* [[Weng (surname)|Ông]]: 翁
* [[Fei (surname)|Phí]]: 費
* [[Fu (surname)#傅|Phó]]: 傅
* Phong: 酆
* [[Fang (surname)|Phòng]]: 房
* [[Fu (surname)#符|Phù]]: 符
* [[Phùng]]: 馮
* [[Fang (surname)|Phương]]: 方
* [[Quach|Quách]]: 郭
* [[Guān|Quan]]: 關
* [[Guān|Quản]]: 管
* [[Quang]]: 光
* [[Kuang (surname)|Quảng]]: 鄺
* [[Gwei Lun-mei|Quế]]: 桂
* [[Quyền]]: 權
* [[Chai (surname)|Sài]]: 柴
* [[Cen (surname)|Sầm]]: 岑
* [[Shǐ (surname)|Sử]]: 史
* [[Xie (surname)|Tạ]]: 謝
* [[Cao (Chinese surname)|Tào]]: 曹
* [[Zeng|Tăng]]: 曾
* [[Xin (surname)|Tân]]: 辛
* [[Qin (surname)|Tần]]: 秦
* [[Bi (surname)|Tất]]: 畢
* [[Qi (surname)#Qí (齊/齐) surname|Tề]]: 齊
* [[Shí (surname)|Thạch]]: 石
* [[Tai (surname)#Chinese|Thai]]: 邰
* [[Cai (surname)|Thái]]: 蔡
* [[Tang (surname)|Thang]]: 湯
* [[Cheng (surname)#Notable people surnamed 成|Thành]]: 成
* [[Thảo]]: 草
* [[Shēn (surname)|Thân]]: 申
* Thầm / Kham: 諶 (almost exclusively a northern surname)
* [[Shī (surname)|Thi]]: 施
* [[Qi (surname)#Qī (戚) surname|Thích]]: 戚
* [[Shan (surname)|Thiện]]: 單
* [[Shao|Thiệu]]: 邵
* [[Cui (surname)|Thôi]]: 崔
* [[Shui (surname)|Thủy]]: 水
* [[Thư]]: 舒
* [[Chang (surname)|Thường]]: 常
* [[Qian (surname)|Tiền]]: 錢
* [[Xue|Tiết]]: 薛
* [[Jiao (surname)#焦 (Jiāo)|Tiêu]]: 焦
* [[Xiao (surname)|Tiêu]]: 蕭
* [[To (surname)|Tô]]: 蘇 (Chinese Diaspora Surname)
* [[Sun (surname)|Tôn]]: 孫
* [[Tôn Thất]]: 尊室
* [[Zong (surname)|Tông]]: 宗
* [[Song (Chinese surname)|Tống]]: 宋
* [[Zhuo|Trác]]: 卓
* [[Zhai|Trạch]]: 翟
* [[Tái]]: 賽
* [[Trang (surname)|Trang]]: 莊
* [[Shen (surname)|Trầm]]: 沈
* [[Zou (surname)|Trâu]]: 鄒
* [[Trì]]: 池
* [[Zhao (surname)|Triệu]]: 趙 (Chinese Diaspora surname)
* [[Trịnh]]: 鄭 (almost exclusively a northern surname, based around [[Thanh Hóa]])
* [[Xu (surname 徐)|Từ]]: 徐
* [[Sima (Chinese surname)|Tư Mã]]: 司馬
* [[Jiang (surname)#蔣|Tưởng]]: 蔣
* [[Yu (Chinese surname)#Others|Úc]]: 郁
* [[Yīng|Ứng]]: 應
* [[Wan (surname)|Vạn]]: 萬
* [[Wen (surname 文)|Văn]]: 文
* [[Yun (Chinese name)|Vân]]: 雲
* [[Wei (surname)#Notable people surnamed Wei (韋/韦)|Vi]]: 韋
* [[Vĩnh]]: 永
* [[Yu (surname 于)|Vu]]: 于
* [[Yuwen|Vũ Văn]]: 宇文
* [[Wang (surname)|Vương]]: 王
* [[You (surname)|Vưu]]: 尤
* [[She (surname)|Xà]]: 佘
* [[Che (surname)|Xa]]: 車 (Chinese Vietnamese write it as Xế)
* [[Yan (surname)|Yên]]: 鄢
* [[Yan (surname)|Yến]]: 燕
{{div col end}}

In Vietnamese culture, women keep their family names once they marry, whilst the progeny tend to have the father's family name, although names can often be combined from a father's and mother's family name, e.g. Nguyễn Lê, Phạm Vũ, Kim Lý etc. In formal contexts, people are referred to by their full name. In more casual contexts, people are always on a "first-name basis", which involves their personal names, accompanied by proper [[Vietnamese pronouns#Kinship terms|kinship terms]].

In a few localities of Vietnam, for examples, in [[Hanoi]]'s Sơn Đồng commune (Hoài Đức district), Tân Lập commune (Đan Phượng district), Cấn Hữu, Tân Hoà, Cộng Hoà communes (Quốc Oai district), and in [[Hưng Yên province]]'s Liên Khê commune (Khoái Châu district), there is a custom of daughters taking the fathers' middle names, not family names, as their surnames; therefore arise such female surnames such as Đắc, Đình, Sỹ, Tri, Ngọc, Văn, Tiếp, Doãn, Quế, Danh, Hữu, Khắc, etc. Sons, in contrast, bear their fathers' family names as surnames.<ref name="dt">{{Cite web |title=Bi hài chuyện con gái không được mang họ cha (Tragicomedy: Daughters not getting to bear their fathers' surnames)|url=https://dantri.com.vn/xa-hoi/bi-hai-chuyen-con-gai-khong-duoc-mang-ho-cha-1267761343.htm |access-date=2022-09-03 |website=Báo điện tử Dân Trí |date=2 March 2010 |language=vi}}</ref><ref name="plo">{{Cite web |date=2014-11-03 |title=Kỳ lạ làng con gái không mang họ cha (Peculiar Villages Where Daughters Don't Bear Their Fathers' Surnames)|url=https://plo.vn/post-305732.html |access-date=2022-09-03 |website=Báo Pháp Luật TP. Hồ Chí Minh |language=vi}}</ref><ref name="gdtd">{{Cite web |date=2020-10-03 |title=Nơi con gái không mang họ cha (Where Daughters Don't Bear Their Fathers' Surnames)|url=https://giaoducthoidai.vn/post-557213.html |access-date=2022-09-03 |website=Báo Giáo dục và Thời đại Online |language=vi}}</ref><ref name="skds">{{Cite web |title=Con gái không được mang họ cha (2): Rắc rối chuyện 'dồn tên đổi họ' (Daughter Not getting to Bear Their Fathers' Surnames (2): Troublesome 'Mass Change of Surnames')|url=https://giadinh.suckhoedoisong.vn/con-gai-khong-duoc-mang-ho-cha-2-rac-roi-chuyen-don-ten-doi-ho-172201004120814353.htm |access-date=2022-09-03 |website=giadinh.suckhoedoisong.vn |language=vi}}</ref><ref name="vnexpress">{{Cite web |title=9 dòng họ ở Hưng Yên nhất loạt xin... đổi họ (9 Families in Hưng Yên Petition in Unison to... Change Surnames) |url=https://vnexpress.net/9-dong-ho-o-hung-yen-nhat-loat-xin-doi-ho-1999992.html |access-date=2022-09-03 |website=vnexpress.net |language=vi}}</ref> There exist several explanations for this custom:
*Nghiêm Quốc Đạt, a teacher and Sơn Đồng's village-historian, believes that this custom is a vestige of outdated feudal misogynistic practices: in the past, sons were valued more than daughters; therefore, in the present, a son receives his family's surname as his surname, while a daughter only receives her father's branch-name ({{langx|vi|tên chi}}) as her surname.<ref name="dt" />
*Others contend that this custom did not stem from misogynistic discrimination:
**The Sơn Đồng government states that this custom's original purpose was to merely help distinguish the different branches of one same family; however, when a woman bears her father's surname and branch-name, that will still indicate which family and which branch she belongs to.<ref name="gdtd" />
**Many Sơn Đồng's elders and people's commissar Nguyễn Chí Mậu state that those families consider the ostensible surnames - given to sons - to be the "additional names" ({{langx|vi|tên đệm|label=V.}}) or "borrowed surnames" ({{langx|vi|họ mượn|label=V.}}) and consider the ostensible branch-names - given to daughters - to be their "original surnames" ({{langx|vi|họ gốc|label=V.}}) or main surnames ({{langx|vi|họ chính|label=V.}}); in fact, many families with the same "borrowed surnames" are not blood-related at all and their current "main surnames" result from their true ancestral surnames being changed in the past.<ref name="plo" /><ref name="skds" /><ref name="vnexpress" /> Therefore, daughters bear the "main surnames" to remind themselves of their origins after getting married, according to Nguyễn Danh Hữu, the keeper of So village's shrine in Quốc Oai.<ref name="plo" />

== Middle name ==
Middle name (''tên đệm'') in Vietnamese is optional. Most Vietnamese have one middle name, but it is quite common to have two or more or to have no middle name at all. Middle names can be standalone (e.g. ''Văn'' or ''Thị''), but is often combined with the personal name for a more meaningful overall name, where the middle name is part of the overall personal name.

In the past, the middle name was selected by parents from a fairly narrow range of options. Almost all women had ''Thị'' ({{vi-nom|氏}}) as their middle name, and many men had ''Văn'' ({{vi-nom|文}}). More recently, a broader range of names has been used, and people named ''Thị'' usually omit their middle name because they do not like to call it with their name.

''Thị'' is a most common female middle name, and most common amongst pre-1975 generation but less common amongst younger generations. ''Thị'' ({{vi-nom|氏}}) is an archaic [[Sino-Vietnamese vocabulary|Sino-Vietnamese]] suffix meaning "clan; family; lineage; hereditary house" and attached to a woman's original family name, 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"; meanwhile, the name "Nguyễn Lê Thị An" means "An, a female person of the Nguyễn and Lê families". Some traditional male middle names may include ''Văn'' ({{vi-nom|文}}), ''Hữu'' ({{vi-nom|友}}), ''Đức'' ({{vi-nom|德}}), ''Thành'' ({{vi-nom|誠}}), ''Công'' ({{vi-nom|公}}), ''Minh'' ({{vi-nom|明}}), and ''Quang'' ({{vi-nom|光}}).

The middle name can have several uses, with the fourth being most common nowadays:
# To indicate a person's generation. Brothers and sisters may share the same middle name, which distinguish them from the generation before them and the generation after them (see [[generation name]]).
# To separate branches of a large family: "Nguyễn ''Hữu''", "Nguyễn ''Sinh''", "Trần ''Lâm''" (middle names can be taken from the mother's family name). However, this usage is still controversial{{dubious|date=July 2018}}{{citation needed|date=July 2018}}. Some people{{who|date=July 2018}} consider them to be a part of their family names, not family name + middle name. Some families may, however, set up arbitrary rules about giving a different middle name to each generation.{{clarify|date=July 2018}}
# To indicate a person's position ([[birth order]]) in the family. This usage is less common than others.
#To provide a poetic and positive meaning e.g. "Trần Gia Hạnh Phúc" meaning "Happiness to the Trần family".

The first three are not as common in the present-day as they are seen as too rigid and strictly conforming to family naming systems. Most middle names utilise the fourth, having a name to simply imply some positive characteristics.

== Personal name ==
In most cases, the middle name is formally part of the personal name (tên gọi). For example, the name "Đinh Quang Dũng" is separated into the family name "Đinh" and the personal name "Quang Dũng". In a normal name list, those two parts of the full name are put in two different columns. However, in daily conversation, the last word in a name with a title before it is used to call or address a person: "Ông Dũng", "Anh Dũng", etc., with "Ông" and "Anh" being words to address the person and depend on age, social position, etc.

The personal name is the primary form of address for Vietnamese. It is chosen by parents and usually has a literal meaning in the [[Vietnamese language]]. Names often represent beauty, such as bird or flower names, or attributes and characteristics that the parents want in their child, such as modesty (''Khiêm'', 謙).

Typically, Vietnamese will be addressed with their personal name, even in formal situations, although an honorific equivalent to "Mr.", "Mrs.", etc. will be added when necessary. That contrasts with the situation in many other cultures in which the family name is used in formal situations, but it is a practice similar to usage in [[Icelandic name|Icelandic]] usage and, to some degree, [[Polish name|Polish]]. It is similar to the Latin-American and southern European custom of referring to women as "[[Don (honorific)|Doña/Dona]]" and men as "[[Don (honorific)|Don/Dom]]", along with their first name.

Addressing someone by the family name is rare in the current. In the past, women were usually called by their (maiden) family name, with ''thị'' (氏) as a suffix, similar to [[China]] and [[Korea]].{{Citation needed|date=December 2023}} In recent years, doctors are more likely than any other social group to be addressed by their family name, but that form of reference is more common in the north than in the south. Some extremely famous people are sometimes referred to by their family names regardless of whether the name is an alias, such as [[Ho Chi Minh|Hồ Chí Minh]] (''Bác Hồ''—"''Uncle Hồ''{{-"}}) (although his real name is Nguyễn Sinh Cung), [[Trịnh Công Sơn]] (''nhạc Trịnh''—"''Trịnh music''{{-"}}), and [[Hồ Xuân Hương]] (''nữ sĩ họ Hồ''—"''the poetess with the family name Hồ''{{-"}}). Traditionally, people in Vietnam, particularly North Vietnam, addressed parents using the first child's name.

When being addressed within the family, children are sometimes referred to by their birth number, starting with one in the north but two in the south. That practice is less common recently, especially in the north.

[[Double name]]s are also common. For example, {{lang|vi|italic=no|[[Phan Thị Kim Phúc]]}} has the personal name {{lang|vi|italic=no|Kim Phúc}}.

The [[Rade people]] in Vietnam's [[Central Highlands (Vietnam)|Central Highlands]] have a unique first name structure, with male names starting with the letter Y, and female names starting with the letter H. For examples, Y-Abraham, Y-Samuel, H'Mari, H'Sarah.

=== Examples ===
* '''[[Lê Lợi]]''' (a Emperor of the [[Lê dynasty]]) has ''Lê'' as his family name and ''Lợi'' as his personal name. He does not have any middle name.
*'''Nguyễn Phúc Vĩnh San''' (Emperor [[Duy Tân]]) has ''Nguyễn'' as his family name, ''Phúc'' as his middle name, and ''Vĩnh San'' as his personal name (a [[double name]]s). The name is similar to '''Nguyễn Phúc Ánh''' (Emperor [[Gia Long]], the first emperor of [[Nguyễn dynasty]]), who is commontly called as '''Nguyễn Ánh'''.
*'''[[Tôn Thất Thuyết]]''' has ''[[Tôn Thất]]'' as his family name (a compound surname) and ''Thuyết'' as his personal name. He does not have any middle name. Sometimes his family name is confused with ''[[Tôn]]''.
*'''[[Nguyễn Tấn Dũng]]''' (a former [[prime minister of Vietnam|prime minister]]) has ''Nguyễn'' as his family name, ''Tấn'' as his middle name, and ''Dũng'' as his personal name. In Vietnamese formal usage, he is referred to as Nguyễn Tấn Dũng, but by his personal name ("Mr. Dũng") in English-language text of Vietnamese multimedia, not by his family name ("Mr. Nguyễn"). Informally he is "Ba Dũng" in Vietnamese. He can also be referred to as ''Tấn Dũng''.
*'''Trần Kim Liên''' (MC of the Voice People of Ho Chi Minh City) has ''Trần'' as her family name, ''Kim'' as her middle name, and ''Liên'' as her personal name. She can also be referred to as ''Kim Liên''.
* Likewise, the famous general and military leader, '''[[Võ Nguyên Giáp]]''', is referred to in Vietnamese by his full name (Võ Nguyên Giáp) in formal sources, but by his personal name in English, i.e. "General Giáp". Informally, he is "Ông Giáp" or "Tướng Giáp" in Vietnamese. He can also be referred to as ''Nguyên Giáp.''

== Foreign names ==

A baby born in Vietnam can only have one foreign name. If the father is foreigner, the foreign name can only be the family name.

Examples:
* For a son born to a Vietnamese mother named ''Trần Thị Hậu'' and a foreign father named ''John Smith'', the son can be named ''Smith Quang Hải''.
* For a son born to a foreign mother named ''Jane Smith'' and a Vietnamese father named ''Nguyễn Quang Hải'', the son can be named ''Nguyễn Quang John''.

== Saints' names ==

[[Catholic Church in Vietnam|Vietnamese Catholics]] are given a [[saint's name]] at [[baptism]] ({{langx|vi|tên thánh (holy name)}} or {{lang|vi|tên rửa tội (baptism name)}}). Boys are given male saints' names, while girls are given female saints' names. This name appears first, before the family name, in formal religious contexts. Out of respect, clergy are usually referred to by saints' name. The saint's name also functions as a [[posthumous name]], used instead of an individual's personal name in prayers after their death. The most common saints' names are taken from the [[New Testament]], such as {{lang|vi|Phêrô}} (Peter, or Pierre in French), {{lang|vi|Phaolô}} (Paul), {{lang|vi|Gioan}} (John), {{lang|vi|Maria}} (Mary), and {{lang|vi|Anna}} or they may remain as they are without Vietnamisation.<ref>{{cite news|title=Tìm Hiểu Tên Thánh Của Người Công Giáo Việt Nam|trans-title=Understanding the Saint's Names of Vietnamese Catholics|author=Nguyễn Long Thao|work=VietCatholic News|date=7 June 2012|access-date=29 March 2019|url=http://www.vietcatholic.net/News/Html/98332.htm|language=vi}}</ref>

Saints' names are respelled phonetically according to the [[Vietnamese alphabet]]. Some more well-known saints' names are derived further into names that sound more Vietnamese or easier to pronounce for Vietnamese speakers.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Etymologies of some saints' names<ref>{{cite book|author=Đỗ Quang Chính|title=Lịch sử chữ Quốc ngữ|trans-title=History of the Vietnamese alphabet|location=Saigon|publisher=Ra Khơi|date=1972|pages=69, 77, 88, 89, 97, 98, 105}}</ref>
|-
! Saint !! Name in Romance Language !! Vietnamese Name
|-
| [[Pope Alexander I|Alexander]] || Alexandre (Portuguese) || A Lịch Sơn (亞歷山), Alexanđê
|-
|[[Andrew the Apostle|Andrew]]
|André (Portuguese)
|An-rê (安移)
|-
| [[Anthony of Padua|Anthony]]|| Antônio (Portuguese) || Antôn (安尊), Antôniô (安尊衣烏)
|-
| [[Benedict of Nursia|Benedict]] || Benedictus (Latin) || Bênêđictô (陂泥𠫾蘇), Biển Đức
|-
| [[Pope Clement I|Clement]] || Clemente (Portuguese) || Clêmêntê, Lê Minh
|-
| [[Constantine the Great|Constantine]] || Constantino (Portuguese) || Constantinô, Công Tăng
|-
| [[Saint Dominic|Dominic]] || Domingos (Portuguese) || Đa Minh, Đaminh
|-
|[[Francis of Assisi|Francis]]
|Francisco (Portuguese)
|Phanxicô (潘支姑)
|-
| [[Helena (empress)|Helena]] || Helena (Portuguese) || Hà Liên
|-
| [[Ignatius of Loyola|Ignatius]] || Inácio (Portuguese) || Inhaxiô, Y Nhã,  I-na-xu (衣那枢)
|-
| [[John the Baptist]] || Juan Bautista (Spanish) || Gio-an Baotixita (由安 包卑吹些)
|-
| [[Saint Joseph|Joseph]] || Giuseppe (Italian) || Giuse (樞槎)
|-
| [[Martin of Tours|Martin]] || Martinho (Portuguese), Martín (Spanish) || Martinô (沫卑奴), Máctinô, Mạc Tính, Mạc Ty Nho
|-
|[[Mary Magdalene]]
|Maria Madalena (Portuguese)
|Ma-ri-a Ma-đa-lê-na (瑪移亞 瑪多黎那)
|-
| [[Paul the Apostle|Paul]]|| Paulus (Latin), Paulo (Portuguese) || Phaolô (抛祿), Bảo Lộc (保祿)
|-
| [[Jude the Apostle|Thaddaeus]] || Tadeu (Portuguese) || Tađêô (些低烏), Thanh Diêu
|-
| [[Pope Urban I|Urban]] || Urbano (Portuguese) || Urbanô, Ước Bang
|}

== Near-homonyms distinguished by vowel or tones ==
Some names may appear the same if simplified into a basic [[ASCII]] script, as for example on websites, but are different names:
* [[Trịnh Căn]] (鄭根, 1633–1709) reformist warlord, vs. [[Trịnh Cán]] (鄭檊, 1777–1782) infant heir of warlord Trịnh Sâm
* [[Nguyễn Du]] (1765–1820) writer, vs. [[Nguyễn Dữ]] (c.1550) writer
* [[Hoàng Tích Chu]] (1897–1933) journalist, vs. [[Hoàng Tích Chù]] (1912–2003) painter
* [[Nguyễn Văn Tỵ]] (1917–1992) painter and poet, vs. [[Nguyễn Văn Tý]] (1925–2019), composer
* [[Phan Thanh Hùng]] (1960) football manager, vs. [[Phan Thanh Hưng]] (1987), footballer
* [[Nguyễn Bình]] (1906–1951), vs. [[Nguyễn Bính]] (1918–1966)
* [[Nguyễn Văn Hưng]] (1958) representative of the Vietnam National Assembly, vs. [[Nguyễn Văn Hùng (martial artist)|Nguyễn Văn Hùng]] (1980), martial artist

Typically, as in the above examples, it is middle or the last personal name which varies, as almost any [[Hán-Nôm]] character may be used. The number of family names is limited.

Further, some historical names may be written using different [[chữ Hán]] ([[Chinese characters]]), but are still written the same in the modern Vietnamese alphabet.

== Indexing and sorting in English ==
According to the English-language ''[[Chicago Manual of Style]]'', Vietnamese names in are [[Subject indexing|indexed]] according to the "''given name'', then ''surname'' + ''middle name''", with a cross-reference placed in regards to the family name. [[Ngô Đình Diệm]] would be listed as "Diệm, Ngô Đình" and [[Võ Nguyên Giáp]] would be listed as "Giáp, Võ Nguyên".<ref>"[http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/CHIIndexingComplete.pdf Indexes: A Chapter from The Chicago Manual of Style]" ({{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150226005234/http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/CHIIndexingComplete.pdf |date=2015-02-26 }}). ''[[Chicago Manual of Style]]''. Retrieved on December 23, 2014. p. 28 (PDF document p. 30/56).</ref> In Vietnamese, Vietnamese names are also typically sorted using the same order.<ref>{{cite web|title=Sắp xếp tên theo thứ tự ABC trong Word|author=Ngọc Anh|publisher=Học viện Đào tạo Kế toán Đức Minh|date=August 8, 2018|access-date=November 25, 2019|url=https://ketoanducminh.edu.vn/tin-tuc/102/3950/Sap-xep-ten-theo-thu-tu-ABC-trong-Word-–Ke-toan-Duc-Minh.html}}</ref>

In the present, Vietnamese names are commonly indexed according "''middle-name'' ''personal-name'' then ''SURNAME''" in [[Personal name#Western name order|Western name order]], or "''SURNAME'' then ''middle-name given-name''" in [[Personal name#Eastern name order|Eastern name order]], to determine exactly the part of surname, especially in media (TV, website, SNS) at events of sports games. This method is similar to [[Chinese name]]s or [[Korean name]]s in events. For example:
{| class="wikitable"
|+Have single family name
|-
! colspan="4" |Name in Vietnamese ([[Personal name#Eastern name order|Eastern name order]])
! colspan="4" |Name in English
|-
! rowspan="2" |Fullname
! rowspan="2" |Family name
! rowspan="2" |''Middle name'' + Personal name
! rowspan="2" |Abbreviated
! colspan="2" |[[Personal name#Eastern name order|Eastern name order]]
! colspan="2" |[[Personal name#Western name order|Western name order]]
|-
!Fullname
!Abbreviated
!Fullname
!Abbreviated
|-
|[[Phạm Tuân]]
|[[Phạm]]
|Tuân (no middle name)
|P. Tuân
|PHAM Tuan
|PHAM T.
|Tuan PHAM
|T. PHAM
|-
|[[Hoàng Xuân Vinh]]
|[[Hoàng]]
|Xuân Vinh (no middle name)
|H. Xuân Vinh
|HOANG Xuan Vinh
|HOANG X. V.
|Xuan Vinh HOANG
|X. V. HOANG
|-
|[[Nguyễn Văn Toàn (footballer, born 1996)|Nguyễn Văn Toàn]]
|[[Nguyễn]]
|''Văn'' Toàn
|N. Văn Toàn
|NGUYEN Van Toan
|NGUYEN V. T.
|Van Toan NGUYEN
|V. T. NGUYEN
|-
|[[Lê Quang Liêm]]
|[[Lê]]
|Quang Liêm (no middle name)
|L. Quang Liêm
|LE Quang Liem
|LE Q. L.
|Quang Liem LE
|Q. L. LE
|-
|[[Nguyễn Ngọc Trường Sơn]]
|[[Nguyễn]]
|''Ngọc'' Trường Sơn
|N. Ngọc Trường Sơn<br />N. N. Trường Sơn{{Efn-ua|For people have length of fullname that is more than 3 single words, sometimes middle name is also abbreviated, to make the part of personal name that unabbreviated is become 2 single words and not too long.|name=abbr}}
|NGUYEN Ngoc Truong Son
|NGUYEN N. T. S.
|Ngoc Truong Son NGUYEN
|N. T. S. NGUYEN
|-
|[[Nguyễn Thị Ánh Viên]]
|[[Nguyễn]]
|''Thị'' Ánh Viên
|N. Thị Ánh Viên<br />N. T. Ánh Viên{{Efn-ua|Because ''Thị'' (氏) is meaning "person of this (surname) family line" (same as the particle ''da'' in [[Portuguese name]] like ''da Silva'', or ''van'' in [[Dutch name]]), and more recently almost modern Vietnamese women do not like it, a lot of them named ''Thị'' usually abbreviate it when writing fullname (e.g. ''Nguyễn T. Ánh Viên'', ''N. T. Ánh Viên''), or omit ''Thị'' when writing fullname and call themself  (e.g. ''Nguyễn Ánh Viên'').|name=Thị}}
|NGUYEN Thi Anh Vien
|NGUYEN T. A. V.
|Thi Anh Vien NGUYEN
|T. A. V. NGUYEN
|-
|[[Nguyễn Thị Liễu]]
|[[Nguyễn]]
|''Thị'' Liễu
|N. Thị Liễu<br />N. T. Liễu{{Efn-ua|Because ''Thị'' (氏) is meaning "person of this (surname) family line" (same as the particle ''da'' in [[Portuguese name]] like ''da Silva'', or ''van'' in [[Dutch name]]), and more recently almost modern Vietnamese women do not like it, a lot of them named ''Thị'' usually abbreviate it when writing fullname (e.g. ''Nguyễn T. Ánh Viên'', ''N. T. Ánh Viên''), or omit ''Thị'' when writing fullname and call themself  (e.g. ''Nguyễn Ánh Viên'').|name=Thị}}
|NGUYEN Thi Lieu
|NGUYEN T. L.
|Thi Lieu NGUYEN
|T. L. NGUYEN
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+Have compound family name
|-
! colspan="4" |Name in Vietnamese (with [[Personal name#Eastern name order|Eastern name order]])
! colspan="4" |Name in English
! rowspan="3" |Notes
|-
! rowspan="2" |Fullname
! rowspan="2" |Family name
! rowspan="2" |''Middle name'' + Personal name
! rowspan="2" |Abbreviate
! colspan="2" |[[Personal name#Eastern name order|Eastern name order]]
! colspan="2" |[[Personal name#Western name order|Western name order]]
|-
!Full
!Abbreviate
!Full
!Abbreviate
|-
|[[Tôn Thất Thuyết]]
|[[Tôn Thất]]
|Thuyết (no middle name)
|T. T. Thuyết
|TON THAT Thuyet
|TON THAT T.
|Thuyet TON THAT
|T. TON THAT
|'''{{efn-ua|To determine exactly his surname is [[Tôn Thất]], and avoid confusing with [[Tôn]].|name=name1}}'''
|-
|[[Trần Lê Quốc Toàn]]
|[[Trần]] [[Le (surname)|Lê]]
|''Quốc'' Toàn
|T. L. Quốc Toàn
|TRAN LE Quoc Toan
|TRAN LE Q. T.
|Quoc Toan TRAN LE
|Q. T. TRAN LE
|{{Efn-ua|To determine exactly his surname is combined from [[Trần]] and [[Le (surname)|Lê]].|name=name2}}
|-
|[[Bùi Hoàng Việt Anh]]
|[[Bùi]] [[Hoàng]]
|Việt Anh (no middle name)
|B. H. Việt Anh
|BUI HOANG Viet Anh
|BUI HOANG V. A.
|Viet Anh BUI HOANG
|V. A. BUI HOANG
|{{Efn-ua|To determine exactly his surname is combined from [[Bùi]] and [[Hoàng]].|name=name3}}
|-
|[[Tôn Nữ Thị Ninh]]
|[[Tôn Thất|Tôn Nữ]]
|''Thị'' Ninh
|T. N. Thị Ninh<br />T. N. T. Ninh{{Efn-ua|Because ''Thị'' (氏) is meaning "person of this (surname) family line" (same as the particle ''da'' in [[Portuguese name]] like ''da Silva'', or ''van'' in [[Dutch name]]), and more recently almost modern Vietnamese women do not like it, a lot of them named ''Thị'' usually abbreviate it when writing fullname (e.g. ''Nguyễn T. Ánh Viên'', ''N. T. Ánh Viên''), or omit ''Thị'' when writing fullname and call themself  (e.g. ''Nguyễn Ánh Viên'').|name=Thị}}
|TON NU Thi Ninh
|TON NU T. N.
|Thi Ninh TON NU
|T. N. TON NU
|
|}
{{notelist-ua}}
[[File:S.R. Viet Nam passport - early 2023 revision.png|thumb|The contemporary layout of the [[Vietnamese passport]], with the standard designation of the person's name.]]

=== Presentation ===
Due to the high frequency of the same surnames in Vietnamese names (having around one-third of the Vietnamese people using the surname [[Nguyen|Nguyễn]]), it has also become more popular to be referred by both middle and first name, which together officially is the personal name. For example, ''Nguyễn Văn An'' can be referred to as ''Văn An'' or simply as ''An'', but is impractical to be "[[Mr.]] or [[Miss|Ms.]] ''Nguyễn''".

Since 2023, names in [[Vietnamese passport|Vietnamese passports]] have been split into two lines: "surname" and "given names", with the middle name treated as part of the personal name in order to match the format of "given names".<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2022-12-31 |title=Từ 1/1/2023, hộ chiếu tách "họ", "chữ đệm và tên" thành 2 dòng |trans-title=From January 1, 2023, passports separate "surname", "middle name and first name" into 2 lines |url=https://dantri.com.vn/xa-hoi/tu-112023-ho-chieu-tach-ho-chu-dem-va-ten-thanh-2-dong-20221231214513212.htm |access-date= |website=Dân Trí |language=vi}}</ref> However, having little consideration for [[compound surnames]] and middle names, having the first syllable of the name usually ends up being designated as the sole surname (e.g. "[[Hoàng]]" and "[[Hoàng Phủ]]"). Vietnamese people have no practice of using [[Hyphen|hyphens]] (e.g. "Hoàng-Phủ Ngọc-Tường") or any other designations in the "partition" of their names, and may sometimes disregard their own middle names in Western context for a simplified translation.
{| class="wikitable"
|+Presentations of Vietnamese name ''"Nguyễn Văn An"''
! rowspan="6" |With "middle name" field 
!Surname
!Middle Name (optional)
!Personal Name
!Standard Vietnamese presentation
|-
|NGUYỄN
|Văn
|An
| rowspan="2" |NGUYỄN Văn An {{Small|(indexed using personal name '''An''')}}
|-
|NGUYỄN
|''not be filled''
|Văn An
|-
!First Name
!Middle Name (optional)
!Last Name
!Presentation in Western context
|-
|An
|Van
|NGUYEN
|An Van NGUYEN {{Small|(An V. NGUYEN)}}
|-
|Van An
|''not be filled''
|NGUYEN
|Van An NGUYEN {{Small|(Van An, NGUYEN)}}
|-
! rowspan="6" |Without "middle name" field 
!Surname
! colspan="2" |Given Names
!Standard Vietnamese presentation
|-
|NGUYEN
| colspan="2" |Van An
|NGUYỄN Văn An
|-
|NGUYEN
| colspan="2" |An ''("Van" is omitted)''
|NGUYỄN An
|-
! colspan="2" |First Name
!Last Name
!Presentation in Western context
|-
| colspan="2" |An ''("Van" is omitted)''
|NGUYEN
|An NGUYEN
|-
| colspan="2" |Van An
|NGUYEN
|Van An NGUYEN
|}

== See also ==
*[[Surname]]
*Other similar naming systems:
**[[Korean name]]
**[[Chinese name]]
**[[Japanese name]]
*[[List of common Vietnamese surnames]]
*[[List of common Chinese surnames]]
*[[List of Korean surnames]]
*[[List of common Japanese surnames]]
*[[List of most common surnames]]

== References ==
<references />

== External links ==
* [http://www.vietnam-culture.com/articles-150-28/Why-a-Newborn-Baby-is-not-Given-a-Name.aspx Vietnamese Naming Customs in Olden Days]
* [http://www.adoptvietnam.org/vietnamese/names.htm Vietnamese names for girls and boys (limited)]
* [http://yourvietnamese.com/ Introduction to Vietnamese]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPeSxwvjiTc Vietnamese names] (examples and tonal pronunciation), [[video lesson]]

{{Names in world cultures}}
{{Vietnam topics}}

[[Category:Names by country]]
[[Category:Vietnamese names| ]]
[[Category:Vietnamese traditions]]