Given name & surname
Nam
“a man from the south”
Nam is used as a given name and a surname. One Vietnamese interpretation is “a man from the south.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Vietnamese interpretation is “a man from the south.”
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
Nam through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,404
- 1,404 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1984
- 58 babies
- 2025
- 8
- #9,446 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −59%
- Cooling
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 8 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 9,446 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 58.8% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 58 in 1984. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 8,645 as a first name in 2020; 6,632 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.
Nam’s family of names
In English usage, Nam as a surname has a related form in 'Nam.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 3
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Nam
- Nam NguyenCanadian figure skaterborn 1998
- Nam Singh ThapaNepalese boxer1946–2026
- Nam LeAmerican poker playerborn 1980
- Nam Hye-seungSouth Korean music director
- Lý Hoàng NamVietnamese tennis playerborn 1997
- Phạm Hồng Nambadminton playerborn 1996
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Nam, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Hieu
“a pious man”
>99% boys
Nguyen
Nguyen is a surname from Vietnamese. It is used in English, French, and Czech.
>99% boys
Chiem
Chiem is a surname from Vietnamese. It is used in English and French.
>99% boys
Hai
“of the river”
96% boys · 4% girls
Canh
“of the endless environment”
>99% boys
Quan
“a compassionate woman” · “a dignified man; a soldier”
>99% boys
Phong
“of the wind”
>99% boys
Huy
“a bright or glorious man”
>99% boys