Jessica Nguyen, Tony Nguyen, Jacqueline Tran, Kevin Le, Kenny Huynh, William Duong,
Jessica Nguyen, Tony Nguyen, Jacqueline Tran, Kevin Le, Kenny Huynh, William Duong, Danny Dang, Wilson Tang, Melissa Lee and Eva Chen in kindergarten class KP have among the most common surnames in the Fairfield City population.
The top 20 list, compiled from recent data from the Sensis White Pages and Yellow Pages telephone directories, reveals the prevalence of Fairfield residents with Vietnamese heritage.
Nguyen is the most popular moniker in Fairfield, with Tran, Le, Huynh and Pham rounding out the top five.
Smith, the only Anglo-Saxon name on the list, came in at number 15, but you’d be hard-pressed finding a Smith on the class roll at Canley Vale Public School.
KP class teacher Luigina Penklis said while the children were aware of other students who share their family name, it rarely caused confusion.
“Because we all use given names in kindergarten, the kids actually find it much more interesting when they come across other kids with the same first name as them,” she said.
Former Vietnamese Community of Australia president Tien Nguyen said he was not surprised that Nguyen was the most common surname in the suburb.
He said the name dates back to the 14th century, when the Nguyen Dynasty overthrew the former Ly Dynasty. “Because the Ly Dynasty was toppled by another clan, the victors tried to find the Ly people to kill,” Dr Nguyen said. “The Ly people had to run away to remote areas, and changed their name to Nguyen to avoid detection.
“Wherever they are now, about 65 to 70 per cent of the Vietnamese population are Nguyens.”
Nguyen is also the most common surname in neighbouring Liverpool and Bankstown, but over in Vaucluse, you’re most likely to find a Cohen, Lewis or Smith.
Smith, Jones and Williams are the three most common surnames in Australia.