2010
#129,825
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 131
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Nyguen
A Vietnamese surname derived from the Chinese surname Ruan.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 337 Americans carry the last name Nyguen. That puts it at #71,480 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,017,075 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nyguen surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
337
1 in 1,017,075
Census rank
#71,480
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
294
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 294 bearers of the surname Nyguen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 71480th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nyguen, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 86.1%. The next largest groups are White (5.4%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nyguen
The surname Nyguen originates from Vietnam and is thought to have emerged in the 14th century during the Later Ly dynasty. It is derived from the Vietnamese words "ngu" meaning five and "nguyen" meaning source or origin, suggesting a connection to the five cardinal directions or elements. The name likely originated in the northern regions of Vietnam, where many Vietnamese surnames trace their roots.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Nyguen can be found in the Annals of Dai Viet, a historical text compiled in the 15th century under the reign of the Le dynasty. This work documents various individuals with the surname, indicating its widespread use at the time.
In the 16th century, a notable figure named Nyguen Trai (1380-1442) gained prominence as a revered poet, scholar, and military strategist. His writings and contributions to the defense of Vietnam against Chinese invasion solidified his place in Vietnamese history.
Another distinguished individual with the surname Nyguen was Nyguen Hue (1753-1792), a renowned general and statesman who played a pivotal role in the Tay Son rebellion against the ruling Nguyen lords in the late 18th century.
During the 19th century, Nyguen Truong To (1828-1871) emerged as a prominent leader of the Southern resistance movement against French colonialism in Vietnam. His efforts and sacrifices in the struggle for independence earned him a revered place in Vietnamese history.
In more recent times, the name Nyguen has been carried by several influential figures, including Nyguen Tan Dung (born 1949), who served as the Prime Minister of Vietnam from 2006 to 2016, and Nyguen Phu Trong (born 1944), the current General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam.
While the surname Nyguen is widely recognized in Vietnam, its global presence has also been notable, particularly in Vietnamese diaspora communities around the world, reflecting the rich cultural heritage and historical significance of this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nyguen
Among Census respondents with the surname Nyguen, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 86.1%. The next largest groups are White (5.4%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Nyguen bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Nyguen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander86.1% · 253
- White5.4% · 16
- Two or more races4.1% · 12
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 7
- Black or African American2.0% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nyguen
Nyguen appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#71,480
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 294
+163 bearers (+124.4%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Up 58,345 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #129,825 | 131 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #71,480 | 294 | 0.10 | +163 bearers (+124.4%) | Up 58,345 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Nyguen surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #129,825 | #71,480 | 44.9% |
| Count | 131 | 294 | 124.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.10 | 145.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nyguen bearers went from 131 to 294 (+124.4% change). The surname moved up 58,345 positions in the national ranking, going from #129,825 to #71,480.
FAQ
Nyguen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nyguen?
Name Census estimates that about 337 living Americans carry the surname Nyguen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,017,075 residents.
How common is Nyguen?
Nyguen ranks #71,480 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.10 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 294 people with the surname Nyguen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (337), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.10 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Nyguen.
Has Nyguen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nyguen went from 131 recorded bearers to 294. That is an increase of 163 (+124.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #129,825 to #71,480.
What does the Census say about the background of Nyguen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nyguen, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 86.1%. The next largest groups are White (5.4%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Nyguen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.1% (253 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nyguen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (86.1%), White (5.4%), Two or More Races (4.1%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Nyguen (2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Nyguen mean?
A Vietnamese surname derived from the Chinese surname Ruan. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Nyguen (0.10 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Nyguen?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.