148 Vibrant Vietnamese Last Names: Full of Eastern Promise

Vietnamese last names were first introduced to the country after the conquest of the Chinese Han Dynasty in 111 B.C. Thanks to this Chinese influence, most Vietnamese surnames reflect the culture and traditions of their invaders. Over time, many other cultures and nations have contributed to the rich tapestry of Vietnamese family names we see today.

Come along, and let’s explore the wonderful world of Vietnamese last names and uncover their fascinating meanings and rich origins.

148 Vibrant Vietnamese Surnames

Vietnamese family names have it all – from simple sentiments to more profound meanings.

1. Ai – some Vietnamese last names are Japanese, like Ai, meaning “love and affection.”
2. Ang – an “A” surname dripping in Chinese influence, meaning “floor, deluge” and “great.”
3. Anh – the perfect Vietnamese surname for your angel, meaning “bright” and “intellectual.”
4. Au – is of Vietnamese and Chinese origin, meaning “peace.”
5. Ba – a simple Vietnamese surname meaning “third or three.”
6. Banh – this food-based Vietnamese name means “cake” and “bread.”
7. Bao – is a cool male Vietnamese name that means “treasure.”
8. Bi – this Vietnamese name could mean “marble” or “shredded pork skin” and even “green jade.”
9. Bien – most Vietnamese surnames have diverse meanings, like Bien, meaning “ocean” and “good/fine” in Spanish.
10. Bo – another name with Chinese influence, meaning “slim, thin” and “weak.”
11. Bui – a popular name in the Chinese and Vietnamese community, meaning “long and flowing.”
12. Cam – another food-based Vietnamese surname meaning “orange fruit.”
13. Can – more popular in the Indonesian Chinese community, meaning “once already” and “in the past.”
14. Cao – the perfect name for taller babies, meaning “high, tall” and “above average.”
15. Chan – a common surname in Vietnam and China, meaning “right.”
16. Chau – your child’s nationality is precious, so give them a Vietnamese name meaning “pearl.”
17. Che – say yes to this Vietnamese last name meaning “no!”
18. Chi – is a unisex Vietnamese name meaning “tree branch” and “twig.”
19. Chiem – many Vietnamese family names derive from Chinese, like Chiem, meaning “excellent and verbose.”
20. Chu – another Chinese/Vietnamese mash-up, meaning “padding (for a garment)” and “pocket.”
21. Co – a common name among the Chinese community, meaning “to praise.”
22. Cong – from Sino-Vietnamese, meaning “fair, equitable” and “public.”
23. Dai – if your kid is “great,” this short and sweet Vietnamese name is ideal.
24. Dam – is of Chinese and Vietnamese origin, meaning “to talk and discuss.”
25. Dan – a snappy Vietnamese name with a “positive” meaning.
26. Dang – this unique surname means “valuable.”
27. Danh – recognize your kid’s star power and give them a Vietnamese name meaning “famous.”
28. Dao – a Chinese name adopted in Vietnam meaning “pleased” and “pottery.”
29. Dau – this Vietnamese name possibly means “rooster” or “bride, son’s wife, and mulberry.”
30. Diep – a Chinese name with many meanings, including “harmony, leaf, period in history, and page.”
31. Dieu – is an ideal Vietnamese name for “mysterious and subtle” kids.
32. Dinh – a Vietnamese name with an interesting structure, meaning “encampment.”
33. Dinn – possibly derived from Din, meaning “calm and settled.”
34. Do – a variant of the Chinese Du, meaning “descendant of the Tao-Tang tribe.”
35. Doan – meaning “to protect,” this regal name relates to “royal guards and generals.”
36. Don – is a classic Chinese/Vietnamese name meaning “already, in the past” and “great.”
37. Dong – the perfect moniker for organized kids, meaning “to supervise” or “manage.”
38. Du – is such a simple name meaning “to stop, prevent, and restrict” in Vietnamese/Chinese.
39. Duong – popular among the Chinese in Vietnam, meaning “poplar” (after the tree).
40. Duy – a common Chinese name meaning “dimension.”
41. Giang – is of Chinese roots, meaning “river.”
42. Hai – was the 293rd most popular Chinese name in 2013 – means “ocean.”
43. Ho – from the classical Chinese Hu, meaning “wattle and dewlap” (a fold of loose animal skin).
44. Hoa – a beautifully short Chinese name meaning “together and harmonious.”
45. Hoang – yet another Chinese/Vietnamese name on the list, meaning “yellow” and “to fall through.”
46. Hong – is of Chinese origin, meaning “water, flood,” and “rainbow.”
47. Hua – a pretty Chinese girl’s name meaning “blossom” and “flower.”
48. Hue – the Vietnamese meaning of Hue is “lily.”
49. Huu – a cool Sino-Vietnamese name meaning “friend” and “companion.”
50. Huy – this masculine Vietnamese name means “glorious.”
51. Huynh – means “yellow or golden” in Chinese and “older brother” in Vietnamese.
52. Hy – we all need positivity, and Hy is the perfect Vietnamese name, meaning “hopeful.”
53. Kha – a classic Vietnamese name meaning “fairy, rather” and “enough.”
54. Khanh – of Chinese and Vietnamese origin, meaning “celebrate and congratulate.”
55. Khong – this Chinese name has many meanings, including “empty, vacant, in vain, unoccupied, and leisure.”
56. Khuu – possibly a habitational Vietnamese name meaning “mound, hillock” and “grave.”
57. Kien – this Chinese-inspired Vietnamese name means “strong.”
58. Kieu – this uncommon Vietnamese name means “unavailable” and “to be pretty.”
59. Kim – this popular Vietnamese surname means “gold” and “metal.”
60. Ky – one of the shortest names on the list, meaning “sign” and “date.”
61. Lac – another Chinese-influenced Vietnamese name meaning “camel” and “white horse with a black mane.”
62. Lai – this Cantonese name means everything from “to depend” and “disclaim” to “rascal” and “blame.”
63. Lam – a beautiful nature-inspired name meaning “forest.”
64. Lang – a feminine Vietnamese name meaning “sweet potato.”
65. Lavan – means “white” in Hebrew and “literature” in Vietnamese.
66. Le – is of Chinese origin, meaning “happiness.”
67. Liang – famous for the Chinese Liang Dynasty, meaning “structure and roof beam.”
68. Lien – the perfect nature-inspired name for your daughter – means “lotus flower.”
69. Lieu – this French-sounding Vietnamese name means “willow tree.”
70. Linh – a cool Vietnamese name meaning “soul” and “spirit.”
71. Lo – this Chinese surname is spelled ten different ways and means “to collect” and “gather.”
72. Loi – a tiny Vietnamese name with the impressive meaning of “thunder.”
73. Lu – means “clumsy, from Lu state, and “rude or foolish” in Chinese/Vietnamese.
74. Luc – is of Taiwanese origin but derived from the English Lucy, meaning “to reveal” or “expose” and “west.”
75. Luong – similar to Liang, this Chinese/Vietnamese name means “structure and roof beam.”
76. Luu – this battle-ready Chinese name means “to kill” and “to slaughter.”
77. Ly – a simple Vietnamese name with an even more straightforward meaning of “plum.”
78. Ma – of Chinese, Mandarin, and Cantonese origin, meaning “horse.”
79. Mac – a cool Chinese and Vietnamese name meaning “nothing” and “non-existent.”
80. Mach – popular in the Vietnamese Chinese community, meaning “wheat, barley, and oats.”
81. Mai – similar to Mach, but also means “cherry blossom” and “yellow.”
82. Manh – another popular Chinese surname meaning “ten thousand” and “a great number.”
83. Minh – a common name among Asians, meaning “bright.”
84. Nam – a component of Vietnam, meaning “south.”
85. Ng – this common Chinese surname means “yellow” and “to fall through.”
86. Nghiem – this Chinese-inspired Vietnamese name means “strict, tight, severe” and “father.”
87. Ngo – was the 12th most popular surname in Vietnam in 2021 – means “corn.”
88. Ngoc – this beautiful female name means “jade” in Vietnamese.
89. Ngu – a Chinese name meaning “five,” “to associate with,” and “fish.”
90. Nguy – a mixture of Tawainese and Vietnamese meaning “to endanger” and “danger.”
91. Nguyen – approximately 40 percent of Vietnamese people have this surname – means “small state” and “musical instrument.”
92. Nhan – this Chinese surname is common in Vietnam and means “person” or “face figure.”
93. Nhu – this Vietnamese name possibly means “alike,” “to eat,” and “to endure.”
94. Nong – in a 2013 study, Nong was the 189th most popular surname in China – means “farmer.”
95. Nzuyen – possibly derived from Nguyen with the same meaning and origin.
96. O – possibly of Korean and Japanese origin, meaning “king” and “written.”
97. On – a classic Vietnamese/Chinese name meaning “peace.”
98. Ong – a common Asian surname meaning “king, monarch” and “to reign over.”
99. Peng – possibly meaning “drum beats, big” and “a giant bird” in Chinese and Vietnamese.
100. Pham – of Vietnamese and Chinese origin, meaning “model, pattern,” and “example.”
101. Phan – with deep roots in Vietnamese, this Chinese name means “to hope” or “expect.”
102. Phang – a cool Chinese name that means “to gallop, to assist” and “to attack.”
103. Phong – this nature-inspired Vietnamese name means “wind.”
104. Phoung – a cute name with dual meanings: “phoenix” and “way or direction.”
105. Phu – a great name if you want your kid to grow up “rich, abundant, and wealthy.”
106. Phung – similar to Phang, meaning “to gallop, to assist” and “to attack.”
107. Quach – of Chinese and Vietnamese origin that translates as “outer city walls.”
108. Quang – the perfect Vietnamese name for a kid, meaning “pure and clear.”
109. Quoc – this rarely used Vietnamese name means “country, state” and “nation.”
110. Son – originating from the Korean name Sohn, meaning “to extend and stretch.”
111. Su – a simple Chinese name meaning “plain, simple” and “respectful.”
112. Ta – this two-letter Vietnamese surname means “to thank, wither, apologize” and “decline.”
113. Tan – a popular Asian surname meaning “magnificent” and “new.”
114. Thach – this Chinese name has multiple meanings: “dry measure for grain, ten pecks” and “rock/stone.”
115. Thai – a short form of Thailand, meaning “free” in Vietnamese.
116. Tham – the ideal Vietnamese name for “gracious” children.
117. Than – a rich Vietnamese surname meaning “bright blue” and “brilliant.”
118. Thang – is of Vietnamese origin, meaning “victory.”
119. Thanh – similar to Than with the same meaning and origin.
120. Thi – the perfect choice for creative Vietnamese children – means “poetry and verse.”
121. Thong – an unusual Vietnamese boy’s name meaning “smart.”
122. Thu – this nature-inspired Vietnamese name means “autumn.”
123. Thuy – the ideal name for Pisces or Aquarius children – means “water” in Vietnamese.
124. Tien – such an ethereal Vietnamese name meaning “fairy, goddess” and “celestial being.”
125. Ton – this Chinese name describes a “grandson” or “descendant.”
126. Tong – a sweet Vietnamese boy’s name meaning “fragrant.”
127. Trach – in Vietnam, a “trach” is a “small earthen pot” or “cooking pot.”
128. Tram – the Vietnamese translation of Tram is “incense, deep” and “low.”
129. Tran – a gender-neutral Vietnamese name meaning “old and ancient.”
130. Trang – the ideal Vietnamese choice for “intelligent” and “serious” kids.
131. Tri – of Chinese and Vietnamese origin, meaning “wisdom and intellect.”
132. Trieu – a unique Vietnamese name meaning “millions.”
133. Trinh – this female Vietnamese name means “pure and virginal.”
134. Tron – an unusual Vietnamese name meaning “round” and “circle.”
135. Troung – of Chinese and Vietnamese origin, meaning “to open up, flatten” and “spread.”
136. Trung – a unisex Vietnamese name meaning “medium.”
137. Tu – according to the Vietnamese language structure, Tu means “bright and sharp.”
138. Tuan – a well-mannered Vietnamese name meaning “gentlemanly” and “chivalrous lord.”
139. Van – in Vietnamese, Van means “cloud, knowledge” and “culture.”
140. Vang – this Vietnamese surname is rooted in Old Chinese and means “gold” and “yellow.”
141. Vi – with more meanings than letters, this Vietnamese name means “tail, flavor, taste” and “innocent.”
142. Vien – primarily a male Vietnamese name meaning “complete” and “full.”
143. Vinh – is of Chinese and Vietnamese origin, meaning “glory.”
144. Vo – this Vietnamese name is perfect for people who like structure – meaning “martial and military.”
145. Voong – another Chinese-inspired name meaning “to gallop, to attack, and to assist.”
146. Vu – a short and simple name meaning “wind” in Vietnamese.
147. Vuong – this Vietnamese name has royal connections and means “to rule, king” and “monarch.”
148. Yen – a gender-neutral Vietnamese name meaning “peace, safe” and “stand still.”

Vietnamese Last Names FAQs