Unisex name · since 1975
Nguyen
Nguyen has 482 recorded births since 1975 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1982 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #8,074 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #12,371 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 482
- born since 1975
- 1980s
- peak decade
482 babies have been named Nguyen since 1975, making it today's #12371 unisex name.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Nguyen has been recorded 482 times among boys since 1975, currently ranked #12371 nationally and more common than 11% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 1980s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1975 to 2025.
- #8,074 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #12,371 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 482 born since 1975
- 1980s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Nguyen ranks #8,074 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #12,371 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 482 born since 1975, peaking in the 1980s.
- #8,074 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #12,371 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 482
- born since 1975
- 1980s
- peak decade
Nguyen's 482 recorded births place it above 82.23% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
The state file records this name in 3 jurisdictions, led by California.
How Nguyen compares
482 Top 45% higher than 55% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Nguyen's all-time total is 31% above the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Nguyen | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 482 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 19 | 34 | 22,252 |
Nguyen's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Nguyen's full recorded timeline at 2000, 37% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 63% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 2013, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1982 peak of 19 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Nguyen popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1975–2025
- Peak year (1982)
- 19
- Annual births at peak, across 51 years of records
Nguyen popularity over time - girls
117 total births recorded since 1975 (Nguyen as girls' name)
Nguyen by decade
1980s is the heaviest window (140 births, 29% of the file).
1980s was Nguyen's strongest decade.
140 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 29% of all-time use.
Nguyen births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1970s 37
1970s
37 births
- 1980s
1980s
140 births
- 1990s
1990s
125 births
- 2000s
2000s
86 births
- 2010s
2010s
68 births
- 2020s 26
2020s
26 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 140 births (29% of all-time use).
Nguyen by state
Where Nguyen concentrates geographically, total births since 1975
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 61 | 12.7% |
| #2 | Louisiana | | 5 | 1.0% |
| #3 | Texas | | 5 | 1.0% |
61 of 482 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 3 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Nguyen? ▼
Where does Nguyen sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Nguyen most popular? ▼
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What to do with Nguyen's data
- Nguyen's decade-level peak was the 1980s (140 total births); usage has since declined to 26 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Nguyens (61 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Nguyen
Nearby Names Like Nguyen
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Nguyen
Compare Nguyen side by side: Nguyen vs Ngun
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Nguyen
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Nguyen: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1982)
Similar record span (~50 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1975–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Nguyen draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.