Baby Name: Pa

A large number of the Laotian immigrants entering the U.S. in the 1970s and ’80s were members of the Hmong ethnic minority.

The Hmong made up the bulk of the Laotian soldiers who, since the early 1960s, had been recruited, trained, and armed by the CIA to fight against pro-communist forces in Laos. When the Pathet Lao gained control in 1975, tens of thousands of Hmong, fearing retribution, fled the country. About 90% of them were eventually resettled in the United States.

Did the arrival of Hmong immigrants have an impact on U.S. baby names?

Yes — Hmong names began showing up in the SSA data in the late 1970s:

Dozens of other Hmong names debuted during the 1980s. Here’s what I’ve spotted so far:

• 1980: Tou, Kao, Yer, Teng, Ying, Fue, Blia, Kang, Mao, Xiong, Youa, Chue, Ger, Sheng, Phoua, Seng, Soua, Toua, Xee, Yeng, Gao, Pheng, Choua, Doua, Ia, Leng, Shoua, Vue
• 1981: Blong, Peng, Houa, Yang, Moua, Nhia, Der, Xai, Xue, Chou, Ge, Hlee, Joua, Kue, Sou, Va, Zoua, Nalee (Na+Lee), Xeng, Xia, Xong, Yia
• 1982: Kongmeng (Kong+Meng), Kha, Yue, Cong, Neng, Pakou (Pa+Kou)
• 1983: Xou, Bla, Ker, Koua, Pahoua (Pa+Houa)
• 1984: Zong, Kabao (Ka+Bao), Xang, Ya, Zer
• 1985: Nkauj, Foua, Lor, Poua, Her, Me
• 1986: Pachia (Pa+Chia), Ku
• 1987: Hli
• 1988: Coua, Kazoua (Ka+Zoua), Mainhia (Mai+Nhia), Mang
• 1989: Yeeleng (Yee+Leng), Cheenue (Chee+Nue), Sua

Notably, Tou, Kao and Teng were among the top boy-name debuts of 1980. Tou was the highest-debuting boy name of the year, in fact.

Names that had previously appeared in the data — names like Bao, Cha, Chia, Chang, Chong, Fong, Ka, Mai, Mee, Phong, Sai, Tong, Vang, and Yee — were also used by the Hmong. These particular names all saw higher usage in the ’80s in either Wisconsin or Minnesota — two states with relatively large Hmong populations.

Interestingly, almost all of the Hmong names above are English transliterations of Hmong words. Blong, for instance, is based on nplooj, meaning “leaf.” (Nplooj is written in the Latin-based Hmong RPA.) Two of the non-transliterated names are Nkauj and Hli, which come directly from nkauj, meaning “girl” or “song,” and hli, meaning “moon.”

Sources:

• Explore Ethnic Groups: Hmong & Iu-Mien – SEAAdoc – UC Irvine Libraries
• Yau, Jennifer. “The Foreign-Born Hmong in the United States.” Migration Policy Institute 1 Jan. 2005.
• Laos – Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs – U.S. Department of State
• Behnke, Duke. “How did Hmong people find their way to Wisconsin?” Post-Crescent 8 Mar. 2022.
• Pha, Susan Kaying. Hmong Names: Reference Book. Minneapolis, MN: Pha Publishing, 2015.
• Xiong, Yuepheng L. English-Hmong/Hmong-English Dictionary. Saint Paul, MN: Hmongland Publishing, 2006.
• SSA

Image: Adapted from Hmong girls in Laos 1973 2 by grjenkins under CC BY 2.0.