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Home β€Ί Baby Names Directory β€Ί Dung

Dung

♀ Girl

How to Pronounce Dung

Pronounced ZUUNG /ˈzΚŠΕ‹/Medium

Meaning: Dung is the anglicized spelling of the Vietnamese name 'Dung' (properly written with a diacritic), meaning 'brave' or 'heroic'. In Vietnamese it is said roughly 'zuung' in the north or 'yuung' in the south - not at all like the English word it happens to resemble. It came with Vietnamese families after 1975.Medium

In 30 seconds: Dung is a Vietnamese name meaning 'brave' or 'heroic'. Though its English spelling looks unfortunate, it is said gently as 'zuung' and arrived with Vietnamese families after the mid-seventies.
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Origin MediumVietnamese
MeaningDung is the anglicized spelling of the Vietnamese name 'Dung' (properly written with a diacritic), meaning 'brave' or 'heroic'. In Vietnamese it is said roughly 'zuung' in the north or 'yuung' in the south - not at all like the English word it happens to resemble. It came with Vietnamese families after 1975.
U.S. rank (2000)#15753 β†˜ Falling
2000 U.S. births5 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)
Peak year1985
Total births (all-time)β‰ˆ 287
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Popularity in the U.S. Β· SSA data

peak 198519762000

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Dung is an English rendering of a Vietnamese given name meaning 'brave' or 'heroic', a quality name carried by families who resettled in the United States after 1975. In Vietnamese the vowel and consonants are soft, sounded closer to 'zuung', quite unlike the identical-looking English word.

In American records it appears only in small numbers, no more than a few dozen a year around the mid-eighties, almost all within the first Vietnamese-American generation. The mismatch between its spelling and its warm meaning is a plain reminder to read the name on its own terms.

Did you know? Despite how it looks to English eyes, the Vietnamese name Dung means 'brave' or 'heroic' and is pronounced 'zuung' - a valued name with a meaning that has nothing to do with the English word.
Overall data confidence 65%
References - Vietnamese given name Dung β€” 'brave/heroic'; pronounced 'zuung'; post-1975 cohort

Variations

ZungYungDzung

Nicknames

β€”

Famous Bearers

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If you like Dung…

Maiβ€” a soft, brief Vietnamese girl's name
Linhβ€” a gentle one-syllable Vietnamese name
Thaoβ€” a Vietnamese girl's name from the same refugee-era wave
Lanβ€” a brief Vietnamese flower name of similar feel

Explore names like Dung

By themerareheritagevietnamese

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Dung mean?

Dung is a Vietnamese name meaning 'brave' or 'heroic'.

How do you pronounce Dung?

It's said ZUUNG /ˈzΚŠΕ‹/.

Is Dung a boy or girl name?

Dung is used as a girl's name.

How popular is Dung?

Dung has always been very rare in the United States, carried mainly by Vietnamese-American families since the later nineteen-seventies.

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