Given name & surname
Hong
“a young girl with a rosy complexion”·“refers to the color red”
Hong is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “a young girl with a rosy complexion” (Vietnamese) and “refers to the color red” (Vietnamese). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “a young girl with a rosy complexion” (Vietnamese) and “refers to the color red” (Vietnamese). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Vietnamese.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1923. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Hong through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 648
- 198 boys · 450 girls
- Most popular year
- 1982
- 66 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 8 in 2006. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 20 in 1982. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 21,082 as a first name in 2020; 33,012 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Hong’s family of names
In Filipino usage, Hong as a surname shares an earlier linguistic root with Hung. In Khmer usage, Hong as a surname is a Roman-alphabet rendering of ហុង. In Filipino usage, Hong as a surname shares an earlier linguistic root with Ang.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Hong has relatives in 4 languages. Lines run from its Vietnamese roots to each of them.
4 related names in 4 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Spellings & scripts 3
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 14
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Hiroshiequivalent
- Wangequivalent
- Kongequivalent
- Hungdoublet · Tagalog, English
- Angdoublet · Tagalog
- 紅equivalent
- 閎equivalent
- 弘equivalent
Show 6 moreShow fewer
See also 4
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Hong
- Emperor Ling of HanEmperor of the Han dynasty from 168 to 189156–189
- Hong WangChinese mathematician (1991–)
- Emperor Houshao of Hanemperor of the Han dynasty195 BC–179 BC
- Cao HongChinese military general (died 232)169–232
- Hong Sung-sikSouth Korean boxerborn 1967
- Liu HongChinese astronomer and official (129–210)
- Chen HongChinese badminton playerborn 1979
- Li HongTang Dynasty crown prince652–675
- Xu HongChinese footballer and managerborn 1968
Characters named Hong: Mu Hong (Water Margin character).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Hong, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Hoa
“one who is peaceful; resembling a flower”
49% boys · 51% girls
Hien
“a meek and gentle woman” · “a gentle and kind man”
48% boys · 52% girls
Thuong
“one who is loved tenderly” · “one who loves tenderly”
16% boys · 84% girls
Phuong
“one who recognizes his destiny”
21% boys · 79% girls
Diep
Diep is a surname from Vietnamese.
22% boys · 78% girls
Tuyen
“an angel” · “a heavenly messenger”
14% boys · 86% girls
Phung
Phung is a surname from Vietnamese, ultimately from Chinese. It is used in English, French, and Indonesian.
9% boys · 91% girls
Thi
“one who inspires poetry”
13% boys · 87% girls