Vietnam's Second Most Common Surname: Phạm (Pham)

Pham: Vietnam's #2 Surname, Carried by ~10% of the Population

After Nguyễn (Nguyen) – ~38%, the second most prevalent surname in Vietnam is Phạm (Pham), held by approximately 10% of Vietnamese people (~9.7 million).

Origins & Meaning

• Chinese character: 范 (Fàn) – originally a place name (Fan state, Spring & Autumn period).
• Meaning: "Pattern," "model," "rule," or "surname of the Fan clan."
• Adopted by Vietnamese families during centuries of Chinese cultural influence (Han–Tang eras).

Top 5 Vietnamese Surnames (Estimated)

1. Nguyễn (38%)
2. Phạm (10%)
3. Trần (11%) – actually #2 by some counts; Pham #3. Sources vary.
4. Lê (9%)
5. Hoàng/Huỳnh (8%)

Note: Census data is limited; rankings fluctuate by source. Pham is consistently top 3.

Global Distribution

• Vietnam: ~9.7M.
• USA: ~300k (top 300 surname).
• France, Australia, Canada, Germany: significant diaspora populations.

Famous Phams

• Phạm Văn Đồng – PM of North Vietnam (1955–76), unified Vietnam (1976–87).
• Phạm Tuân – First Vietnamese in space (1980, Soyuz 37).
• Phạm Nhật Vượng – Vietnam's first billionaire (Vingroup).
• Gina Pham (influencer), Andrew Pham (author), countless others.

If you meet a Vietnamese person, odds are 1 in 10 they're a Pham—right after the ubiquitous Nguyen.