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'''Nguyễn''' ('''阮''') (sometimes abbreviated as Ng̃) is the most common [[surname]] of the [[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"}}
'''Nguyễn''' ('''阮''') (sometimes abbreviated as Ng̃) is the most common [[surname]] of the [[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>
 
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 |url= http://www.saigon.com/~nguyent/hoa_03.html |title=Vietnamese names |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 |first=Maura |last= Kelly |url=http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2011/07/nafissatou_and_amadou.html |title=Nafissatou and Amadou |publisher=Slate |date=27 July 2011}}</ref>


==Origin and usage==
==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 an ancient Chinese instrument [[Ruan (instrument)|ruan]].<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|date=18 February 2014|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}}</ref>
{{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>


The first recorded mention of a person surnamed Nguyễn is a description dating AD 317, of a journey to [[Jiaozhou (region)|Giao Châu]] 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" />
The first recorded mention of a person surnamed Nguyễn is a description dating AD 317, of a journey to [[Jiaozhou (region)|Giao Châu]] 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" />


=== Other countries ===
=== Other countries ===
The Nguyen surname also appears in China ({{Lang-zh|c=阮|p=Ruǎn}}) but is significantly less common than its Vietnamese counterpart.{{Citation needed|date=August 2023}}[[File:Distribution of Vietnamese family names.png|right|thumb| Distribution of Vietnamese family names. Họ khác means "other surnames."]]
[[File:Distribution of Vietnamese family names.png|right|thumb| Distribution of Vietnamese family names. Họ khác means "other surnames".]]
 
The Nguyen surname also appears in China ({{Lang-zh|c=阮|p=Ruǎn}}) but is significantly less common than its Vietnamese counterpart.{{Citation needed|date=August 2023}}


==Overseas Vietnamese usage==
==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 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>
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 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>


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.{{Citation needed|date=May 2023}} 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]''</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>
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.{{Citation needed|date=May 2023}} 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 ==
== Subfamilies ==
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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>
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>
[[File:Vietnamese 承祀碑.jpg|thumb|A Vietnamese stele from 1687 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 阮 Nguyễn.]]


==Changes of family name==
==Changes of family name==
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[[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.
[[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.


Historically in Vietnam and many East Asian countries, the rulers may let their courtiers share their family name as a reward for their loyalty.{{Citation needed|date=August 2023}} Many officials thereby changed their name to match that of the last Nguyễn dynasty (1802–1945).{{Citation needed|date=February 2024}} Civilians also adopted the name during the [[Trịnh–Nguyễn War|Trịnh–Nguyễn Civil War]] for purposes of [[social climbing]], having migrated from the north to the south. Even the [[Tây Sơn Brothers]] changed their name to Nguyễn from Hồ.{{Efn|This is only according to some sources. Other sources say Quang Trung took his mother's surname (Nguyễn Thị Đồng) which was Nguyễn.}}
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>


==Notable people==
==Notable people==
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[[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.
[[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.


== Notes ==
== Explanatory notes ==
{{Notelist}}
{{Notelist}}


Latest revision as of 19:47, 23 June 2025

Template:Short description Script error: No such module "For". Script error: No such module "Distinguish". Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox surname

Nguyễn (阮) (sometimes abbreviated as Ng̃) is the most common surname of the Vietnamese people. Outside of Vietnam, the surname is commonly rendered without diacritics as Nguyen.Template:EfnTemplate:Efn By some estimates 30 to 39 percent of Vietnamese people bear this surname.[1][2][3]

Origin and usage

Script error: No such module "Lang". is the transcription of the Sino-Vietnamese pronunciation of the character 阮, which originally was used to write a name of a state in Gansu or ruan, an ancient Chinese instrument.[4][5] The same Chinese character is often romanized as Script error: No such module "Lang". in Mandarin and as Script error: No such module "Lang". in Cantonese.[6]

The first recorded mention of a person surnamed Nguyễn is a description dating AD 317, of a journey to Giao Châu 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.[7] 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.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". 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.[7]

Other countries

File:Distribution of Vietnamese family names.png
Distribution of Vietnamese family names. Họ khác means "other surnames".

The Nguyen surname also appears in China (Template:Lang-zh) but is significantly less common than its Vietnamese counterpart.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

Overseas Vietnamese usage

The prevalence of Nguyễn as a family name in Vietnam extends to outside the country, due to numerous and widespread 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[8] (second only to Smith in Melbourne phone books[9]), and the 54th most common in France.[10] It was the 41st most common surname in Norway in 2020[11] and tops the foreign name list in the Czech Republic.[12]

In the United States, Nguyen is the 38th most-common surname and is shared by more than 437,000 individuals,[13] according to the 2010 Census; it was the 57th and 229th most-common surname, respectively, in the 2000[14] and 1990[15] censuses. It is also the most common exclusively East Asian surname.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". It is ranked 124th in the U.S. Social Security Index.[16] Nguyen was the 57th most common surname in the whole of Australia in 2022.[17]

Subfamilies

Template:More citations needed 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:

Pronunciation

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The Vietnamese pronunciation is Script error: No such module "IPA". in Northern dialect or Script error: No such module "IPA". in Southern dialect, in both cases, in one syllable. Script error: No such module "IPA". is the velar nasal found in the middle of the English word singer.[18] Script error: No such module "IPA". is the semivowel found in the English word win. Script error: No such module "IPA". is a rising diphthong, the sound of which is similar to the diphthong Script error: No such module "IPA". found in the British English Received Pronunciation of ear. Finally, Script error: No such module "IPA". occurs in the English word net.

Furthermore, in Vietnamese Nguyễn is also pronounced with a 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 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 Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell,[19][20] Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell and Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell.[21]

File:Vietnamese 承祀碑.jpg
A Vietnamese stele from 1687 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 阮 Nguyễn.

Changes of family name

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: Script error: No such module "Lang".). 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 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 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 civil examination.[22] 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.[23] 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.[24]

Notable people

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Hồ Chí Minh was born Nguyễn Sinh Cung and used various names with the surname Nguyễn throughout his career (Script error: No such module "Lang"., Script error: No such module "Lang".). He was not known as Hồ Chí Minh until late in his life.

Explanatory notes

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References

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External links

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  1. ↑ Lê Trung Hoa, Họ và tên người Việt Nam, NXB Khoa học - Xã hội, 2005
  2. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  3. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  4. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  5. ↑ "Why Are So Many Vietnamese People Named Nguyen?" IB Times.
  6. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  7. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  8. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  9. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  10. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  11. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  12. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  13. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  14. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  15. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  16. ↑ PBS, POV: The Sweetest Sound: Popularity IndexTemplate:Dead linkTemplate:Cbignore
  17. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  18. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  19. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  20. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  21. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  22. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  23. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  24. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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