Top 60 Vietnamese Last Names or Surnames

In Vietnam, surnames were not used by people. It was only until 111 B.C, after China conquered the country, that surnames and family names started making an appearance. So, many of them have Chinese roots.

60 Popular Vietnamese Surnames and Family Names With Meanings

There are not that many surnames in Vietnam as there are in other countries. Here are a few surnames used in the country, as well as the Vietnamese surname meanings:

1. Anh

This name has the meaning “brave”, “bright”, “flower”, “intelligent” and “petal”. The name is often compounded with another name. So, depending on what name it is attached to, the meaning changes.

2. Au

This is a name that in Vietnamese means “safe”, “stream”, “secure”, and “water”. The name originates in Chine, where it means “quiet” and “peace”. It is one of the rare Vietnamese last names.

3. Ba

This surname can also be used as a given name for boys. It means “third”, or “three”.

4. Bao

This Vietnamese name means “protection”.

5. Bien

This name is Vietnamese. It has the meanings “ocean” and “sea”.

6. Bui

This name is of French origin. It means “wood”. It is a variant of the name Bois.

7. Cam

This name means “sweet citrus” and is originally a Vietnamese name. It is also used as a given name for girls.

8. Can

This name has origins in Spanish. The name means “hound”.

9. Chau

This Vietnamese name means “pearl”. This name is one of the names that can also be given to little girls.

10. Cong

This name has roots in Sino-Vietnamese. This name means “equitable”, “fair” and “public”.

11. Cuong

This name is a family name that has Vietnamese roots. The name means “healthy” and “flourishing”. The name can also be used as a given name for boys.

12. Dai

This Vietnamese surname means “great”. It is a name that is linked to a member of the royal family.

13. Dan

The name Dan means “positive” in Vietnamese.

14. Danh

This name has roots in Vietnamese. The name has the meaning, “famous”. It can be used as a given name for boys.

15. Dang

This name is used as a surname in Chinese, Korean, German, and Vietnamese. The name means “association” and “party”.

16. Dinh

This Vietnamese name has the meaning “encampment.” This name can also be used as a given name for boys.

17. Doan

This name has associations with royal warriors and others who were in positions of power, with the responsibility to protect the Vietnamese nations. The name has the meaning “elegance” and “powerful”. It is always connected with influence, strength, and power.

18. Duc

This name originates in Vietnam and has the meaning “good” and “moral”.

19. Duong

This name has its origins in Vietnamese. It means, “male” and “virile”.

20. Duy

This name is one that can be used for boys but is also used as a family name. It has the meaning “save” and “virtuous”.

21. Gia

This is a very common family name in Vietnam. It is also used as a name for both boys and girls. The name means “family”.

22. Giang

This Vietnamese name is used as a family name and a girl’s name. The name means “river”.

23. Hang

Used as a surname and a girl’s name, this name originates in Vietnam. It has the meaning, “moon”.

24. Hieu

This name originates in Vietnam. It is often used as a boy’s name but is also used as a family name. The name means “conscientious to parents”.

25. Hoa

With roots in Sino-Vietnamese, this name means “flower”. Though it is a family name, it is also used for girls.

26. Hoai

This Vietnamese surname has the meaning “eternal” and “always”. The name is also used for boys.

27. Hoang

This name has Vietnamese roots. It has a powerful and mystical meaning “Phoenix”.

28. Hong

This name has Vietnamese origins and means “rosy”, “pink” and “red”. It is also used as a name for girls.

29. Hung

This Vietnamese name is used as a surname, and also as a name for boys. The meaning of the name is “hero”.

30. Huong

This family name originates in Vietnam. The meaning of the name is “flower’s scent”.

31. Huyen

This name has Vietnamese roots. The name is used both as a surname and as a name for girls. It has the meaning of “jet black”.

32. Khánh

This name has Sin-Vietnamese roots. It means “celebrate” as well as “congratulate”.

33. Kieu

This Vietnamese family name is also used as a girl’s name. The meaning is “graceful” and “beloved”.

34. Kim

This name has roots in Sino-Vietnamese. The name means “gold” and “metal”. The name is pronounced “keem”.

35. Lam

This common Vietnamese family name has the meaning “forest”.

36. Le

This is one of the family names that have links to the Vietnamese royal family, the Lê Dynasty. Though the name is so common in Vietnam, even being held by the aristocracy, the name originated in China. It means “close to a pear tree” and “joy”.

37. Long

This name has roots in both China and Vietnam. The name means “dragon”. It is a name that may sometimes be used as a name for baby boys as well as a family name.

38. Ly

Ly is a name that originates in Vietnam. It means “reason”.

39. Mạnh

This Vietnamese family name means “powerful” and “strong”. It is also sometimes used as a name for boys.

40. Nam

This name originates in Vietnam. The name means both “manly” and “south”.

41. Ngọc

This family name has Sino-Vietnamese roots. It means “Jade”, “gem”, and “precious stone”.

42. Nguyen

This is one of the most common Vietnamese surnames used in the country. The name has its roots in Chinese, and it means “musical instrument”.

43. Nhat

This Vietnamese name means “to have a long life”.

44. Nhu

This Vietnamese name is a family name that means “alike”.

45. Pham

This name is a common family name in Vietnam. The name means “extensive”.

46. Phan

This Vietnamese Surname is derived from the river Phan that runs through the country.

47. Phuong

This name has the meaning “phoenix”. The name originates in Vietnam. Though it is used as a family name, some parents give their baby girls this name as well.

48. Phuc

This name comes from Vietnam. While it can be used for boys as a middle or given name, the name is a family name that means “happiness” and “blessings”.

49. Quach

This surname was derived from the Chinese surname Guo. In Chinese, the name means “the wall that surrounds a city”. In English, the surname can be transliterated as “Cok, Quo, Keh, Kuoch, Koc, Kwik” and more. This surname also has Japanese and Korean counterparts. In Japanese, it is Kuoko, and in Korean, Gwak.

50. Quang

This name is a family name in Vietnamese that means “clear” and “bright”. It can be used as a name for boys.

51. Thanh

This name has roots in Vietnamese. The name has the meaning “brilliant”.

52. Thuy

This Vietnamese name is used as a family name, as well as a name for girls. The meaning of the name is “water”.

53. Tong

This name originated in Vietnam. It is a family name that may also be used as a name for boys. The meaning of the name is “fragrant”.

54. Tran

This is a very common surname that is found in Vietnam. It may also be used as a name for boys. The meaning of the name is “a family name”.

55. Tuan

This Vietnamese name has noble connotations. It has the meaning “like a gentleman” and “chivalrous Lord”.

56. Van

This name is often used as a shorter version of some names for boys. However, it is a name in itself, often used as a family name. The name means “cloud”, “culture” and “knowledge”.

57. Vang

This Vietnamese name has roots in Scandinavian. It means “field” or “meadow”.

58. Viet

This name of Vietnamese origin means “of Vietnamese descent”.

59. Vinh

This Sino-Vietnamese name means “glory”.

60. Vu

This name is commonly used as a surname in Vietnam. It can be found in use more in the North of the country. There are many meanings that can be associated with this family name. It can mean “feather”, “dancing”, and “fighting”.

Vietnamese family names are always used first, before the middle name and the surname. A lot of the time, middle names are the same, because the middle names are often the family name of the child’s mother.