Yen
/Y-EH-N/
Swallow (the bird) — Yen (Vietnamese Yến, from Sino-Vietnamese 燕 'swallow') is a poetic Vietnamese feminine name evoking the elegant migrating bird. Yen-sao (swallow's-nest soup) is a celebrated Vietnamese delicacy. The swallow is a symbol of joyful homecoming.
See Yen scored for your familyQuick — what every parent wants to know about Yen:
Yes — Yen is a Buddhist girl name of Vietnamese origin, meaning “Swallow (the bird) — Yen (Vietnamese Yến, from Sino-Vietnamese 燕 'swallow') is a poetic Vietnamese feminine name evoking the elegant migrating bird. Yen-sao (swallow's-nest soup) is a celebrated Vietnamese delicacy. The swallow is a symbol of joyful homecoming.”. It also appears in Other tradition.
How well does Yen fit your family?
This page tells you what Yen means. The app tells you whether it's right for your baby — scored against the names already in your family, your heritage, and your baby's exact birth star.
Unlock Yen's score — free
Six signals — scored for your family, not in the abstract:
Meaning & origin
Yen is a girl's name of Vietnamese origin, traditionally used in Buddhist families. The name means "Swallow (the bird) — Yen (Vietnamese Yến, from Sino-Vietnamese 燕 'swallow') is a poetic Vietnamese feminine name evoking the elegant migrating bird. Yen-sao (swallow's-nest soup) is a celebrated Vietnamese delicacy. The swallow is a symbol of joyful homecoming." and belongs to the Beauty cluster — names that carry grace, elegance, and aesthetic wonder.
Beyond its Buddhist heritage, Yen is also used in Other traditions, reflecting how this name has traveled across cultures.
Common among Vietnamese, SoutheastAsian families, Yen carries cultural weight that goes beyond its dictionary definition — it's a name with a story and a community.
What's Yen's birth star?
In Vedic tradition, a baby's name is matched to their nakshatra (birth star) and rashi (moon sign) — usually through its first syllable. Yen opens with “Ye.” But whether that's auspicious depends on your baby's exact date, time, and place of birth.
NameRoot works it out for you. Enter your baby's birth details and see exactly which nakshatra and rashi Yen aligns with — and how strongly it scores.
See Yen's birth-star reading →What does Yen's numerology say?
Numerology assigns each name a single-digit destiny number by summing its letter values. Different schools use different mappings — NameRoot computes both so you can see how Yen resonates in either tradition.
Yen's destiny number is 8 — but a number only matters in context. The app matches it to your family's own numbers for a real compatibility read. See Yen's full reading →
Does Yen go with your family's names?
Yen breaks into 3 sounds: /Y-EH-N/. The real test isn't how it sounds alone — it's how it sounds beside the names already in your family: yours, your partner's, and any brothers or sisters. NameRoot scores that harmony, so Yen sits naturally next to a Mum and Dad like Michael & Anna, or a big sister named Gianna — no awkward clashes, no two names that blur together. Hear Yen beside your family's names →
Names similar to Yen
If Yen resonates with you, these names live in the same world — drawn from the same tradition, sharing the same meaning, or echoing a similar sound.
From the same tradition
Other Buddhist girl names, common in Vietnamese families
Sharing the same meaning
Other Buddhist girl names from the Beauty cluster
Names that sound similar
Buddhist girl names that open with the same syllables as Yen
Explore more names
Keep exploring names like Yen — by tradition, by meaning, or by first letter.
Common questions about Yen
What does the name Yen mean?
Yen means "Swallow (the bird) — Yen (Vietnamese Yến, from Sino-Vietnamese 燕 'swallow') is a poetic Vietnamese feminine name evoking the elegant migrating bird. Yen-sao (swallow's-nest soup) is a celebrated Vietnamese delicacy. The swallow is a symbol of joyful homecoming.." It is a girl name of Vietnamese origin, traditionally used in Buddhist families.
Is Yen a boy or girl name?
Yen is most commonly used as a girl name.
What is the origin of the name Yen?
Yen is of Vietnamese origin, used in Buddhist, Other traditions, commonly among Vietnamese, SoutheastAsian families.
Is Yen a Buddhist name?
Yes. Yen is a girl name traditionally used in Buddhist families, of Vietnamese origin. It also appears in Other tradition.
What does Yen mean in Vietnamese?
Yen originates from Vietnamese, where it means "Swallow (the bird) — Yen (Vietnamese Yến, from Sino-Vietnamese 燕 'swallow') is a poetic Vietnamese feminine name evoking the elegant migrating bird. Yen-sao (swallow's-nest soup) is a celebrated Vietnamese delicacy. The swallow is a symbol of joyful homecoming.."
What is the numerology of Yen?
Yen has a Pythagorean destiny number of 8 — material mastery and executive power.
See how Yen scores for your family
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