Tuan

♂ Boy

Pronounced too-AHN /tuˈɑːn/Medium

Meaning: Tuan is a Vietnamese masculine name from tuấn, meaning 'lord', 'master' or 'talented and handsome'. It is a genuine heritage name, not a coinage.High

In 30 seconds: Tuan is a Vietnamese boy's name meaning 'lord' or 'talented one'. It arrived in the United States with the post-1975 wave of Vietnamese families and peaked in the early eighties.

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Origin HighVietnamese

MeaningTuan is a Vietnamese masculine name from tuấn, meaning 'lord', 'master' or 'talented and handsome'. It is a genuine heritage name, not a coinage.

U.S. rank (2021)#12015 ↗ Rising

2021 U.S. births6 boys (0.00% of U.S. boys)

Peak year1982

Total births (all-time)≈ 1,417

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

Tuan comes from Vietnamese tuấn, a word carrying the sense of 'lord', 'master' and 'brilliant, handsome'. It is a long-established given name in Vietnam. In the United States it was virtually unknown until the late nineteen-seventies, when families resettling after the end of the Vietnam War brought it with them; the records show it appearing and rising sharply in that cohort.

It reached its American high point in 1982 and stayed in modest use for decades afterward as the community grew. Tuan is a clear example of an immigrant heritage name whose popularity curve reflects a specific migration rather than a fashion; for an English speaker the spelling is misleading, so the audio is guided to say it correctly.

Did you know? Tuan's American arc is a small map of history: essentially absent before the mid-seventies, it appears and crests in 1982, tracking the resettlement of Vietnamese refugees after 1975.

Overall data confidence 82%

References — Tuan — Vietnamese tuấn 'lord/master'; post-1975 immigration cohort

Variations

Tuấn

Nicknames

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Famous Bearers

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If you like Tuan…

Minh— another common Vietnamese boy's name of the same cohort

Thienan— another Vietnamese name

Loan— a similarly popular pick

Quan— shares Tuan's Vietnamese roots

Bian— lands in the same popularity range

Explore names like Tuan

By themeheritage vietnamese masculine

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Tuan mean?

Tuan is Vietnamese and means 'lord', 'master' or 'talented and handsome', from tuấn.

How do you pronounce Tuan?

It's said too-AHN /tuˈɑːn/ — the two vowels glide together in Vietnamese but English speakers say roughly too-AHN.

Is Tuan a boy or girl name?

Tuan is used as a boy's name.

How popular is Tuan?

Tuan was rare in America until the late seventies, rose with Vietnamese resettlement, and crested in the early eighties; it remains an uncommon heritage choice.