Given name & surname
Minh
“a clever man”
Minh is used as a given name and a surname. One Vietnamese interpretation is “a clever man.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Vietnamese interpretation is “a clever man.”
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 1975. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Minh through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 2,409
- 2,116 boys · 293 girls
- Most popular year
- 1982
- 102 babies
- 2025
- 50
- #2,915 for boys · #12,756 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −8%
- Steady
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 92% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 43 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 2,915 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 1.3% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 80 in 1982. It also appeared in 7 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (11). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 17,886 as a first name in 2020; 250 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.
Minh’s family of names
The ring: across languages.
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Minh
- Dương Văn MinhSouth Vietnamese commander (1916-2001)
- Minh LeVietnamese-Canadian computer game developer who created the mod ''Counter-Strike''born 1977
- Nguyễn Tiến Minhbadminton playerborn 1983
- Trinh T. Minh-haVietnamese-US American post-colonial difference theorist, composer and filmmakerborn 1952
- Phạm Bình Minhformer Deputy Prime Minister of Vietnamborn 1959
- Lê Lương MinhVietnamese politicianborn 1952
- Minh HằngVietnamese singer and actress (born 1987)
- Nguyễn Thị Minh KhaiVietnamese politician1910–1941
- Minh-Khai Phan-ThiGerman actress and television presenterborn 1974
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Minh, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Vinh
“from the bay”
>99% boys
Dinh
“one who is peaceful; calm”
>99% boys
Sinh
“a flourishing boy”
>99% boys
Chinh
“a righteous man”
>99% boys
Thinh
“a prosperous man”
>99% boys
Nguyen
Nguyen is a surname from Vietnamese. It is used in English, French, and Czech.
>99% boys
Tai
“a very big woman” · “one who is talented and prosperous”
80% boys · 20% girls
Khanh
“resembling a precious stone”
70% boys · 30% girls