Nguyen

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Nguyễn (/ŋwiɜn/ⓘ, Hán Tự/漢字: 阮) is the most common Vietnamese family name. By some estimates, approximately 40 percent of Vietnamese people have this surname[1][2]. Outside Vietnam, the prominence of this family name sometimes makes it even more popular than "native" family names in the area. In the United States, it is the 229th most popular family name, making it the most popular exclusively Asian family name, and placing it ahead of such names as Douglas (257) and Gilbert (237)[3]. As Vietnam is a former French colony, Nguyễn is the 54th most common family name in France [4].

Origin and usage

The surname is of Chinese origin. Some Vietnamese with this surname claim to be descended from a man named Ruan Cho, who was a governor of Giao Chỉ (交趾, the Sino-Vietnamese name for northern Vietnam at that time) during the Chen Dynasty (557-589).

Throughout Vietnamese history, many events contributed to the the name's prominence. In 1232, after usurping the Lý Dynasty, Trần Thủ Độ forced the descendants of the Lý to change their surname to Nguyễn. When Hồ Quý Ly overturned the Trần Dynasty, he killed many of their descendants so when the Hồ Dynasty collapsed in 1407, many of his descendants changed their surname to Nguyễn in fear of retribution. In 1592, on the collapse of the Mạc Dynasty, their descendants changed their surname to Nguyễn and Lều. When the Nguyễn Dynasty (the descendants of the Nguyễn Lords) took power in 1802, some of the descendants of the Trịnh Lords fearing retribution changed their surname to Nguyễn, while others fled north into China. The Nguyễn Dynasty awarded many people the surname Nguyễn during their rule, and many criminals also changed their surname to Nguyễn to avoid prosecution. Thus, many people having this surname cannot trace their ancestry to the Nguyễn royal family[1].

In Vietnamese custom as with other East Asian cultures, the surname precedes the given names. Like many surnames in Vietnam and other Chinese-influenced cultures (including Korea and Japan), the name Nguyễn is of Chinese origin, and is shared with those in Chinese culture. The Chinese/Chữ nôm character for Nguyễn is 阮, and refers to a moon-shaped lute called ruan. Among Chinese speakers, it can be pronounced Yun or Yuen (Cantonese) and Yuan or Ruǎn) (Mandarin). In China, the surname is found most often in the southern province of Guangdong. Some who bear the surname may have partial or distant Vietnamese ethnic ancestry (also known in China as the Gin ethnic minority).

Subfamilies

In Vietnamese custom, people are referred to by their personal names and not by their family names even in formal situations. Thus, there isn't much confusion about who is being referred to as one might expect. However, some groups distinguish themselves from other Nguyễn by passing elements of their names that are usually considered middle names to their children. This practice is more common with male than with female children. Some of the prominent subgroups within the Nguyễn family are:

  • Nguyễn Phúc: all members of the Nguyễn Dynasty have this as part of their name
  • Nguyễn Hữu

IPA Pronunciation

The correct Vietnamese pronunciation is /ŋwiɜn/, pronounced as one syllable. /ŋ/ is the velar nasal found at the end of the English word "sing". Unlike Vietnamese, this consonant is never found in initial position in English. /w/ is the glide found in the English word "wet". /iɜ/ is a falling diphthong. The sound of this diphthong is close (but not identical) to the diphthong /ɪə/ found in British English Received Pronunciation in the words "beer". Finally, /n/ is the same consonant as in English.

Besides these vowels and consonants, Nguyễn is also pronounced with a tone in Vietnamese. In Southern Vietnam, Nguyễn is pronounced with the dipping-rising tone, meaning the pitch of the voice first lowers from level 3 to 1 then rises back to level 3. In Northern Vietnam, Nguyễn is pronounced with the creaking-rising tone, meaning the pitch of the voice rises from level 3 to 5, but with constricted vocal cords, almost akin to a glottal stop heard in the middle of the word. See Vietnamese tones.

Notable Nguyễns

There are many notable people named Nguyễn, including:

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Lê Trung Hoa, Họ và tên người Việt Nam, NXB Khoa học - Xã hội, 2005
  2. ^ Vietnamese names
  3. ^ List of American last names in the 1990 Census
  4. ^ French surnames
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