Uyen
A Vietnamese feminine name meaning "graceful, precious".
Name Census estimates that about 380 living Americans carry the first name Uyen. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Uyen today is around 33 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Uyen births was 1981 (27 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Uyen. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
380
~ 1 in 901,985 Americans
Peak year
1981
27 babies that year
Average age
33
years old
2019 SSA rank
#12,363
Tracked since 1977
Census
Uyen in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 3,857 people with the first name Uyen, which placed it at #4,712 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#4,712
National first-name rank
People counted
3.9K
3,857 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
1.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
98.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Uyen
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Uyen is Asian/Pacific Islander at 98.5%. The next largest groups are White (0.8%) and Two or More Races (0.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Uyen described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Uyen at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander98.5% · 3,799
- White0.8% · 29
- Two or more races0.5% · 18
- Hispanic or Latino0.2% · 6
- Black or African American0.1% · 5
Popularity
Uyen: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Uyen from the 1970s through to the 2010s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 175 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Uyen by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Uyen during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Uyens live
Origin
Meaning and history of Uyen
The name Uyen is a Vietnamese feminine given name. It has its origins in the Vietnamese language, which is part of the Austroasiatic language family. The name is derived from the Vietnamese word "uyên" which means "accomplished" or "talented."
In ancient Vietnam, the name was often bestowed upon girls with the hope that they would grow up to be accomplished individuals, possessing various skills and talents. The name's roots can be traced back to the ancient kingdoms of Vietnam, particularly during the Ly Dynasty (1009-1225 CE) and the Tran Dynasty (1225-1400 CE).
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Uyen can be found in the historical annals of the Tran Dynasty. According to these records, there was a woman named Uyen Tran, who lived during the 13th century and was known for her exceptional skills in poetry and calligraphy.
Throughout history, there have been several notable figures who bore the name Uyen. One such individual was Uyen Phi Khanh (1918-1997), a Vietnamese diplomat and politician who served as the Vice President of the Republic of Vietnam from 1967 to 1975.
Another prominent figure was Uyen Luu (1936-2005), a Vietnamese-American artist and writer who was known for her work in promoting Vietnamese culture and literature. Her literary works, including poetry and short stories, explored themes of identity, displacement, and the Vietnamese diaspora experience.
In the realm of music, Uyen Thy (born 1976) is a well-known Vietnamese singer and songwriter who has gained widespread popularity for her contributions to the Vietnamese pop music scene. Her powerful vocals and emotionally resonant lyrics have earned her numerous awards and a dedicated fan base.
The name Uyen also gained recognition in the field of journalism with Uyen Luu (born 1971), a Vietnamese-American journalist and author who has worked for various news organizations, including the Wall Street Journal and the Los Angeles Times.
Lastly, Uyen Cao (born 1979) is a Vietnamese-American artist and illustrator whose whimsical and vibrant artwork has been featured in numerous publications, exhibitions, and collaborations. Her work often draws inspiration from her cultural heritage and explores themes of identity and representation.
People
Uyen + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Uyen as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with U
Other first names starting with U with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Uyen: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Uyen?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 380 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Uyen going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 901,985 US residents.
Is Uyen a common name?
We classify Uyen as "Very Rare". It ranks above 81.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 397 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Uyen most popular?
The single biggest year for Uyen was 1981, when 27 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Uyen is about 33 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Uyen in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 3,857 people with the name Uyen, or 1.28 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #4,712 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Uyen in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Uyen?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Uyen leans strongly female. 3,748 people counted with this name were female (97.3%), compared with 105 male bearers (2.7%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Uyen?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Uyen is Asian/Pacific Islander at 98.5%. The next largest groups are White (0.8%) and Two or More Races (0.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Uyen most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Uyen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.5% (3,799 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Uyen in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Uyen a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Uyen in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Uyen still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Uyen in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Uyen can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people are named Uyen?
Find out how many people have the name Uyen on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.