Do Vietnamese people have middle names?

Yes, most Vietnamese people have a middle name. A full Vietnamese name usually runs family name, then middle name, then given name, and the middle name is called tên đệm (common in the North) or tên lót (common in the South).

How a Vietnamese name is built

Take an example like Nguyễn Văn An:

• Nguyễn: family name, written first
• Văn: middle name
• An: given name, the one people actually call you by

So in everyday life, this person is "An," often with a pronoun or title in front, like anh An (older brother An) or thầy An (teacher An). Using the family name alone to address someone, the way English speakers say "Mr. Smith," isn't the usual Vietnamese habit. The basics of name order are covered in how do Vietnamese names work?.

What does a middle name do?

A Vietnamese middle name can play several roles, and families differ:

• It can signal gender. Traditionally, Văn was a very common middle name for men and Thị for women. More on that in Văn and Thị: the traditional Vietnamese middle names.
• It can add meaning or sound. Parents often choose a middle name that pairs well with the given name, either in meaning or in how the tones flow together. Names like Minh, Ngọc, Gia or Bảo are popular middle names in many families.
• It can mark family lines. Some families use a particular middle name for all children of a generation, or to mark a branch of the family. Practices vary from family to family.
• It can carry the mother's surname. Some parents use the mother's family name as the child's middle name, giving the child both parents' surnames.

Can someone have no middle name, or more than one?

Both happen. Some Vietnamese people have just a family name and a given name, like Lê Hoa. Others have longer names with two middle elements, or a two-syllable given name, like Trần Ngọc Bảo Anh. In longer names, it isn't always obvious to an outsider which parts are middle names and which are part of the given name, and people sometimes describe their own names differently. If it matters, just ask.

Is the middle name part of what people call you?

Usually not by itself, but there are exceptions. In some families or regions, people are called by the last two parts of their name together, especially when the given name is common. Someone named Nguyễn Thanh Tâm might be called "Thanh Tâm" to tell them apart from other Tâms. Close friends may also use nicknames that have nothing to do with the official name; see Vietnamese nicknames.

How do Vietnamese names fit on US forms?

This is where things get tangled. American forms expect "First, Middle, Last." People handle it in different ways:

• Reordered: given name as first, middle as middle, family name as last. Nguyễn Văn An becomes "An Van Nguyen." This is the most common approach in the US.
• Middle name dropped: some people leave it off day to day and keep it only on official documents.
• Combined given name: someone might put "Bao Anh" in the first name field so their full given name stays together.
• Diacritics dropped: most US systems can't store Vietnamese marks, so Nguyễn becomes Nguyen and Văn becomes Van.

There's no single right way. If you're filling in a form for someone else, or entering a name into a database, ask the person how they write their name in English, and use that every time.

Why the middle name matters to many families

Even when it's rarely spoken, a middle name can carry real weight: a grandparent's wish, a family tradition or a sense of belonging to a generation. Asking about the meaning of someone's middle name, politely and with genuine curiosity, is often a nice conversation starter.

Quick vocabulary

• họ: family name, surname
• tên đệm / tên lót: middle name (North / South)
• tên: given name, or "name" in general
• họ và tên or họ tên: full name, as seen on forms

When you're not sure which part of a Vietnamese name to use, use the last part with a polite title, or simply ask, "What should I call you?"