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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 ===
[[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".]]


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

Script error: No such module "Labelled list hatnote". People with the name include:

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

Template:Notelist

References

Template:Reflist

External links

Template:Sister project

Template:Surnames

  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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