How popular is the baby name Phong in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Use the popularity graph and data table below to find out! Plus, see all the blog posts that mention the name Phong.

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Popularity of the baby name Phong


Posts that mention the name Phong

What gave the baby name Tiger a boost (twice)?

tiger

For the longest time, I was mystified by the popularity graph for the baby name Tiger. It shows two distinct spikes in usage: one in 1997/1998, the other in 2010.

The initial spike aligns with the rise of golfer Tiger Woods, who “shot to fame after winning the U.S. Masters at Augusta in 1997 — with a record score of 270 — at the age of 21.” He was both the youngest-ever winner and the first African American winner.

If we stick with the Tiger Woods theory, though, the 2010 spike aligns best with Tiger’s infidelity scandal, which was making headlines from late 2009 until mid-2010. And that certainly could be the explanation…though it seems like a disproportionately steep rise, given the nature of the news.

Graph of the usage of the baby name Tiger in the U.S. since 1880
Usage of the baby name Tiger

When I noticed recently that Dragon-related names were more popular during Dragon years, it occurred to me that another animal of the Chinese zodiac — the Tiger — might be influencing the baby name Tiger in a similar way.

The most recent Tiger years were 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, and 2010. Turns out that the two big spikes, plus the debut (in 1962), match up perfectly with Tiger years:

  • In 2010, 130 U.S. baby boys were named Tiger.
    • 39 [30%] in California, 10 in Texas, 9 in New York, 8 in Washington, 7 in Florida, 6 in Minnesota, 5 in Pennsylvania.
  • In 1998, 97 U.S. baby boys were named Tiger.
    • 23 [24%] were born in California, 8 in Texas, 6 in Pennsylvania, 5 in Illinois.
  • In 1962, 7 U.S. baby boys were named Tiger.

It’s intriguing that the name was absent from the data in 1974 and 1986. Perhaps Tiger Woods’ rise to fame in 1997 not only gave the name an early boost, but also primed expectant parents to see “Tiger” as a feasible option — making those big spikes in 1998 and 2010 possible.

What do you think the usage of “Tiger” will look like in the next Tiger year, 2022?

Update (Aug. 2023): We have our answer! The name Tiger saw another spike last year:

Graph of the usage of the baby name Tiger in the U.S. since 1880
Usage of the baby name Tiger (more up-to-date)

Here’s the 2022 data:

  • In 2022, 64 U.S. baby boys and 9 baby girls were named Tiger.
    • 10 [16%] were born in in California, 8 in Texas, 7 in Florida, 6 in Hawaii, 5 in Georgia.

P.S. Tiger Woods’ birth name is actually Eldrick. His mother invented it, starting it with an “E” because her husband’s name was Earl and ending it with a “K” because her own name is Kultida. Earl Woods nicknamed his son “Tiger” in honor of Col. Vuong Dang “Tiger” Phong, whom he’d known while serving in Vietnam. (The story of the search for Phong is fascinating…)

Sources: Tiger Woods – Biography, Tiger (zodiac) – Wikipedia, Tiger’s dad gave us all some lessons to remember, SSA

Image: Adapted from Tiger from Ranthanbore Sawai Madhopur Rajasthan India 12.10.2014 by Dibyendu Ash under CC BY-SA 3.0.

[Latest update: Sept. 2023]

How did Vietnamese immigration influence U.S. baby names in 1975?

Vietnamese refugees and U.S. crewmen (1975)
Vietnamese refugees and U.S. crewmen

The decades-long Vietnam War — which began as a civil war in the 1950s and grew into a proxy war between the United States and the Soviet Union in the 1960s — ended with a North Vietnamese victory in the spring of 1975.

After the fall of Saigon, an estimated 130,000 Vietnamese refugees were evacuated to the U.S.

This influx of Vietnamese immigrants had a considerable impact on U.S. baby names. Dozens of Vietnamese names debuted in the SSA data in the mid-1970s. Here’s what I’ve spotted so far:

197419751976
Thuy6 girls*12 girls17 girls
Viet.23 boys*
5 girls*		36 boys
Hung.16 boys*22 boys
Nam.14 boys*17 boys
Huy.13 boys*11 boys
Long.11 boys*47 boys
Anh.10 girls*
5 boys*		11 girls
13 boys
Vu.10 boys*6 boys
Phuong.9 girls*14 girls
Tran.9 boys*.
Duc.8 boys*10 boys
Dung.8 boys*17 boys
6 girls*
Hoang.8 boys*12 boys
My10 girls18 girls
8 boys*		21 girls
12 boys
Nguyen.8 boys*
7 girls*		10 boys
An.12 girls
7 boys*		9 girls
8 boys
Luan.7 boys*8 boys
Phong.7 boys*9 boys
Thu.7 girls*18 girls
Bich.6 girls*.
Binh.6 boys*10 boys
Linh.6 girls*
5 boys*		6 girls
5 boys
Minh.6 boys*21 boys
Quang.6 boys*17 boys
Quoc.6 boys*16 boys
Thai.6 boys*10 boys
Thao.6 girls*10 girls
Trang.6 girls*19 girls
Chau.5 girls*9 girls
5 boys*
Hai.5 boys*13 boys
Hoa.5 girls*5 girls
Lien.5 girls*14 girls
Ngoc.5 girls*7 girls
Tien.5 boys*9 boys
6 girls*
Yen.5 girls*9 girls
Yun.5 boys*.
Huong..26 girls*
Hong..15 girls*
6 boys
Loan..14 girls*
Tri..13 boys*
Hanh..12 girls*
Thanh..12 boys*
12 girls*
Thi..9 girls*
Bao..8 boys*
Ha..8 girls*
5 boys*
Trinh..8 girls*
Vinh..8 boys*
Khoa..7 boys*
Trung..7 boys*
Hien..6 girls*
Tan..6 boys*
Tuyet..6 girls*
Cuong..5 boys*
Dai..5 boys*
Doan..5 girls*
Hao..5 boys*
Hieu..5 boys*
Khanh..5 boys*
Thang..5 boys*
Thong..5 boys*
Tung..5 boys*
*Debut

Significantly, two of the top choices for baby boys in 1975 were Viet and Nam. (In the name of the country, the element viet refers to the ancient kingdom of Yue and the element nam means “south.”) Viet was the highest-debuting boy name of the year, in fact.

Another 1975 debut name, Chaffee, is likely a reference to Fort Chaffee, one of the centers at which Vietnamese refugees were processed.

Vietnamese refugees aboard a U.S. ship (1975)
Vietnamese refugees aboard a U.S. ship

A second wave of Vietnamese immigration, which involved several million people fleeing “communist re-education camps and the 1979 Chinese invasion of Vietnam,” began in 1978 and lasted until the mid-1980s.

Many more Vietnamese names began appearing in the U.S. data as a result:

  • 1977: Hang, Hue, Huyen, Khai, Lam, Nga, Oanh, Phuc, Quyen, Thien, Truong, Uyen, Xuan
  • 1978: Duong, Duy, Thinh, Thuhuong, Toan, Tu
  • 1979: Dat, Duyen, Khang, Khoi, Loc, Mylinh, Nguyet, Nhan, Nhi, Phuoc, Thuan, Thy, Trong, Vang, Vuong
  • 1980: Chinh, Chuong, Danh, Dao, Diem, Hiep, Huan, Khuong, Kiet, Kieu, Kimanh, Manh, Mao, Nghi, Nhu, Nhung, Phu, Phung, Quy, Quynh, Tho, Truc, Tuyen, Vong
  • 1981: Diep, Giang, Khiem, Liem, Nghia, Nhat, Nhut, Phan, Phat, Thuthuy, Trieu,
  • 1982: Chanh, Dinh, Dzung, Dzuy, Hoai, Hoan, Kha, Kien, Lieu, Luu, Myphuong, Ngan, Suong, Thach, Thuong, Thuytrang

Most of these names reached peak usage during the ’80s.

P.S. Please note that many of the names above (such as An, Bao, Dai, Hai, Hao, Hong, Huan, Long, Mao, My, Phan, Phuong, Tan, Tu, Vong, and Yun) are also used by people of other cultures (e.g., Chinese, Hmong, Laotian, Cambodian, Japanese). Also, the name Thuy debuting a year early may reflect the fact that over 14,000 Vietnamese immigrants entered the U.S. during the first half of the ’70s — before the fall of Saigon.

Sources:

Images: Adapted from Crewmen of the cargo ship USS Durham take Vietnamese refugees aboard a small craft and Vietnamese refugees crowd the decks of SS Pioneer Contender (both public domain)

[Latest update: Feb. 2026]