Nguyen Family History
Nguyen Surname Meaning
Vietnamese (Nguyễn):: from Chinese ruan (阮) which denotes a type of traditional Chinese stringed instrument. Compare the Mandarin Chinese name Ruan Cantonese Yuen.
Possibly also from old Vietnamese words such as nguồn ‘spring fountain’ or ngòi ‘canal small river’ applied as a topographic name.
Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022
