Thanh

♂ Boy

Pronounced TAHN /ˈtɑːn/Medium

Meaning: Thanh is a Vietnamese given name whose senses include 'brilliant,' 'complete,' 'accomplished,' and 'pure/clear,' depending on the underlying character. Used for both sexes in Vietnam, it appears in U.S. data mainly for boys.Medium

In 30 seconds: Thanh is a Vietnamese name meaning 'brilliant' or 'complete' (said 'TAHN'). It entered U.S. records with post-1975 Vietnamese families and remained a heritage name.

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Origin MediumVietnamese

MeaningThanh is a Vietnamese given name whose senses include 'brilliant,' 'complete,' 'accomplished,' and 'pure/clear,' depending on the underlying character. Used for both sexes in Vietnam, it appears in U.S. data mainly for boys.

U.S. rank (2021)#13869 ↘ Falling

2021 U.S. births5 boys (0.00% of U.S. boys)

Peak year1982

Total births (all-time)≈ 1,099

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

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

Thanh is a Vietnamese name meaning 'brilliant,' 'complete,' or 'pure,' its exact sense set by the underlying character. It shows up in American records from the mid-1970s onward as families resettled from Vietnam, peaking near 1982.

Thanh stayed a heritage name within Vietnamese-American households rather than crossing into general use, and its American numbers thinned after the 1990s. Because U.S. forms strip the Vietnamese tone marks, several distinct names collapse into this one spelling.

Did you know? Thanh can carry several meanings in Vietnamese — 'brilliant,' 'accomplished,' 'pure' — because different tonal characters share the same Roman spelling once the diacritics are dropped in U.S. paperwork.

Overall data confidence 68%

References — Thanh — Vietnamese given name 'brilliant/complete'; tone marks lost in U.S. spelling

Variations

Thanh

Nicknames

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If you like Thanh…

Minh— a short Vietnamese boy's name from the same immigrant generation

Hung— a like Vietnamese heritage name entering U.S. records together

Nam— a brief Vietnamese boy's name carried by the same refugee-era families

Vinh— a fellow Vietnamese choice

Tai— a fellow Vietnamese choice

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By themeheritage vietnamese immigrant-era

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Thanh mean?

Thanh is a Vietnamese name meaning 'brilliant,' 'complete,' or 'pure,' depending on the character.

How do you pronounce Thanh?

It's said TAHN /ˈtɑːn/ — one syllable.

Is Thanh a boy or girl name?

Thanh is used for both sexes in Vietnam and appears mainly as a boy's name in U.S. records.

How popular is Thanh?

Thanh is rare in the U.S. It arrived with Vietnamese families after the mid-seventies, peaked in the early eighties, and has remained an uncommon heritage name.