Vietnamese Names: 125 Baby Names for Girls and Boys With Meanings

Vietnamese names such as Mai, Linh, Ngọc, Minh, Bảo and Xuân are usually Vietnamese words, many from Sino-Vietnamese, and this list gives the gender, character and meaning of 125 names for girls and boys, each checked against its Behind the Name entry.

Every Vietnamese given name on this list is a single syllable, and each one is a word with a meaning, from Hoa (“flower”) and Sơn (“mountain”) to Tâm (“heart”) and Phúc (“happiness, good fortune, blessing”).

We sorted the names into girl names, boy names and unisex names, then regrouped them by meaning. You will also find how Vietnamese name order works, the two classic middle names Thị and Văn, names with more than one meaning, and pronunciations straight from the reference.

Vietnamese Names at a Glance

Every name on this page has its own entry on Behind the Name with the usage label Vietnamese, and we checked each one in November 2026. The gender we print is the gender that entry lists, the characters are the ones it gives, and the meaning is its meaning, not a guess. Where an entry gives more than one possible character, we print all of them.

The page holds 125 names in total: 34 listed only as feminine, 40 listed only as masculine, 49 listed for both, and 2 classic middle names. After the gender tables you will find the same names regrouped by meaning (flowers, water, sky, gems, brightness, virtue, good fortune), a table of names with several possible meanings, a pronunciation table and practical tips for using a Vietnamese name in an English-speaking family.

How Naming Works in Vietnam: Order, Middle Names and Meaning

According to Behind the Name’s guide to Vietnamese names, a full Vietnamese name has a surname, one or more middle names and a main given name, in that order. A person is usually called by the main given name alone, even in formal settings, sometimes with an honorific added. So in a name written as Nguyễn Thị Mai, Nguyễn is the family name, Thị is a middle name and Mai is the name people actually use.

The same guide notes that Vietnamese surnames are usually based on a single Chinese character, and that the three most common surnames, Nguyễn, Trần and Lê, account for over half the population.

Given names are usually taken directly from Vietnamese vocabulary words, and a large part of Vietnamese vocabulary comes from Chinese. Behind the Name’s entries call these words Sino-Vietnamese, and most entries below give a Chinese character with its Sino-Vietnamese reading, such as 雲 (vân), “cloud.” A few, like Lành, Sang and Trai, are described simply as Vietnamese words.

Two middle names are so common that Behind the Name calls them out in their own entries:

Middle names matter in another way, too. Behind the Name’s entry for Anh says it is often combined with a middle name into a compound name, and that the meaning of Anh can shift with the characters underneath. If you are building a two-part Vietnamese name, look at both parts together. Our middle names guide has more on flow and rhythm.

Vietnamese Girl Names

These Vietnamese girl names are listed only as feminine on Behind the Name. Many are flowers, seasons and words for beauty: Hoa is “flower,” Cúc is “chrysanthemum,” Liên is “lotus, water lily,” Thu is “autumn” and Nguyệt is “moon.”

A few notes on the table. Hường, Thy and Vi are listed as variants (of Hồng, Thi and Vy), so the reference gives them no separate character. Kim here is the Vietnamese Kim, from 金, “gold, metal”; Behind the Name keeps it as a separate entry from Kim in other languages. Thùy comes from a character meaning “let down, suspend, hang,” a reminder that a name’s appeal is not always a literal translation.

If you like moon names such as Nguyệt, our names that mean moon list gathers more from many languages. Mỹ, Nga and Quyên all carry meanings of beauty; for more in that vein, see names that mean beautiful.

Vietnamese Boy Names

These Vietnamese boy names are listed only as masculine. Many are about strength, learning and character: Dũng is “brave,” Trí is “wisdom, intellect,” Đức is “virtue” and Kiệt is “hero.” Others come from the landscape, like Sơn (“mountain”), Hải (“sea, ocean”) and Phong (“wind”).

Long is the one name in this table whose entry explains it through Chinese rather than a Sino-Vietnamese reading. Behind the Name lists it as both a Chinese and a Vietnamese name and gives the Chinese meanings “dragon” or “prosperous, abundant.” Sang and Trai are explained as Vietnamese words, “wealthy, luxurious, elegant” and “oyster.”

Looking at names from nearby naming traditions too? Our Chinese boy names and Korean boy names lists use the same careful approach to characters and meanings.

Unisex Vietnamese Names for Girls and Boys

Many Vietnamese names are listed for both genders. Some entries read “Masculine & Feminine” and others “Feminine & Masculine”; we print the label exactly as each entry gives it, in the same order.

A few of these are among the most flexible names in any language: An (“safe, secure”), Bình (“level, even, peaceful”), Tâm (“heart”) and Minh (“bright”) are short, easy to spell and listed for both girls and boys. Việt refers to the country of Vietnam itself. For more names that work for any child, see our gender-neutral names.

Vietnamese Names by Meaning: Nature, Seasons and Gems

Here the same names are regrouped by theme, using only the meanings their entries give. Where a name has several possible characters, we note which reading fits the theme, because a parent choosing Vũ for “rain” is choosing a different character from one choosing it for “military, martial.”

Seasons give a gentle way to mark when a baby arrived. Xuân (“spring”) and Thu (“autumn”) are the two season names on this list; Xuân is listed for both genders and Thu as feminine. Weather names pair well with them: Tuyết (“snow”) and Băng (“ice”) for a winter baby, or Vũ, read as “rain,” for a rainy-season birth. Colors work the same way, and Bích (“bluish green, cyan”) and Lam (“blue, indigo”) are both short and soft to say.

Nature names are some of the easiest to love across languages. Mai, Lan and Liên are short and simple to say; Trúc (“bamboo”) and Tùng (“pine tree, fir tree”) feel steady and calm. For more botanical choices, browse our flower names.

Names About Brightness, Virtue and Good Fortune

A second large group of Vietnamese names carries a hope for the child: to be bright, kind, wise, peaceful or fortunate. Again, these are only the meanings the entries state.

These meaning names also make thoughtful middle names. A child with an English first name could carry Minh, An or Tâm in the middle as a quiet wish, and a short one-syllable middle name tends to sit comfortably between a longer first name and surname. If your family already uses Vietnamese names, a parent’s or grandparent’s given name, or a name that shares a theme with a sibling’s (two gem names such as Ngọc and Châu, or two nature names such as Sơn and Giang), is a natural way to tie children together.

Phúc and Phước are worth a note: Behind the Name lists Phước as a variant of Phúc chiefly used in southern Vietnam, so a family’s regional roots may decide which spelling feels right.

Names With More Than One Possible Meaning

Because one Vietnamese syllable can be written with different Chinese characters, several entries give two or three possible meanings. The spelling in the Latin alphabet stays the same, but the meaning depends on which character the family has in mind. If you choose one of these, decide which meaning you intend and keep a note of it for your child.

This is also why online lists often disagree. One site may give Thanh as “blue” and another as “clear,” and both can be correct for different characters. When a family elder knows the character behind a relative’s name, that is the best source of all.

Tone Marks, Spelling and Pronunciation

The marks above and below the letters are part of the spelling, and changing one can change the name. Behind the Name keeps separate entries, with different meanings, for pairs such as Lam (“blue, indigo”) and Lâm (“forest”), Hiền (“virtuous”) and Hiển (“manifest, clear”), Quyên (“beautiful, graceful”) and Quyền (“power, right, authority”), and Thùy and Thủy. Keep the bar through the Đ in names like Đức and Đạt, too.

U.S. birth certificates and other paperwork do not always carry accents or special characters, so ask your hospital or vital records office what can be printed, and decide how you will write the name day to day.

For pronunciation, we print only what Behind the Name gives, in the International Phonetic Alphabet. Many entries list more than one pronunciation; we copy them all rather than pick one.

If IPA is new to you, the easiest route is to ask a Vietnamese speaker in your family or community to say the name aloud, and then to practice it with your surname.

Choosing a Vietnamese Name: Practical Tips

• Think in pairs: because Vietnamese names often combine a middle name and a given name, try your favorites together: Ngọc Anh, Thanh Hương, Minh Khôi or Bảo Ngọc. Behind the Name notes that the meaning of Anh can change in a compound, so check both characters.
• Choose the character, not only the sound: for names like Thanh, Hạnh or Vũ, decide which meaning you intend, and write the character down for your child’s baby book.
• Decide on the marks early: choose whether you will write Phương or Phuong, Đức or Duc, and use it the same way on every form.
• Consider the everyday name: in Vietnamese usage the given name is the one people call you. If your child will also have an English first name, a Vietnamese name can sit in the middle, or the other way around.
• Check the gender label: the unisex table shows the genders each entry lists. Bình and Minh are listed as masculine and feminine; Linh and Thanh as feminine and masculine.
• Ask family: grandparents may know the characters and stories behind family names, which a reference cannot tell you.

If you are not Vietnamese yourself but love one of these names, the same care applies: learn the meaning and the character behind it, learn how it is said, keep the tone marks if you can, and be ready to share the story with your child. A name that is understood and pronounced well is a gift in any family.

Love names with roots in East Asia? Compare our Chinese girl names and Korean girl names, which show how the same characters can travel between languages. And if your family is weighing names from several traditions, our Japanese girl names page is a good next stop.

Related Betteroo Guides

• Japanese Boy Names
• Korean Girl Names
• Chinese Girl Names
• Gender-Neutral Names
• Nature Names
• Girl Names That Start With V

The Bottom Line

Vietnamese names are short, meaningful words: flowers like Hoa and Liên, landscapes like Sơn and Giang, seasons like Xuân and Thu, and hopes like Minh (“bright”), An (“safe, secure”) and Phúc (“happiness, good fortune, blessing”). Pick the meaning you love, confirm the character behind it, decide how you will handle the tone marks on U.S. paperwork, and say the full name out loud with your surname and middle name.

None of the names in the SSA’s 2025 national top 10 (led by Olivia and Liam) is on this list. To see how many babies received a particular spelling, use the Social Security Administration’s baby names search, keeping in mind that the SSA removes hyphens and spaces when it counts names and leaves out names with fewer than 5 occurrences to protect privacy.

Frequently Asked Questions