Fan
A unisex name of Chinese origin meaning "ordinary person" or "common".
Name Census estimates that about 2 living Americans carry the first name Fan. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Fan today is around 93 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Fan births was 1927 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Fan. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Fan is about 93 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Fans were born before 1943.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Fan. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
2
~ 1 in 171,377,169 Americans
Peak year
1927
7 babies that year
Average age
93
years old
1942 SSA rank
#4,857
Tracked since 1889
Census
Fan in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 3,082 people with the first name Fan, which placed it at #5,532 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#5,532
National first-name rank
People counted
3.1K
3,082 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
1.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
91.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fan
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Fan is Asian/Pacific Islander at 91.2%. The next largest groups are White (5.6%) and Black (1.4%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Fan described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Fan at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander91.2% · 2,811
- White5.6% · 174
- Black or African American1.4% · 42
- Hispanic or Latino1.2% · 37
- Two or more races0.5% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Popularity
Fan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Fan from the 1880s through to the 1940s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 7 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1920s peak, Fan remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Fan by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Fan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Fan
The given name Fan is derived from the Chinese language and has its origins in ancient China. It is a unisex name that can be used for both males and females. The name Fan is believed to have evolved from the Old Chinese word "fan," which means "to turn" or "to rotate."
In ancient Chinese philosophy and cosmology, the concept of cyclical change and the continuous rotation of the universe was highly revered. The name Fan may have been given to children with the hope that their lives would be marked by constant growth, change, and adaptation, much like the ever-turning cycles of nature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Fan can be found in the Analects of Confucius, a collection of sayings and philosophical teachings from the ancient Chinese scholar Confucius (551-479 BC). In this text, a disciple named Fan Chi is mentioned, suggesting that the name was in use during the Spring and Autumn period of ancient China (771-476 BC).
Throughout Chinese history, the name Fan has been borne by several notable figures. One such individual was Fan Zhongyan (989-1052), a prominent scholar-official and reformer during the Song Dynasty. He is remembered for his efforts to curb corruption and promote good governance.
Another famous bearer of the name was Fan Kuan (active around 990-1020), a renowned landscape painter of the Song Dynasty. His masterpiece, "Travelers Among Mountains and Streams," is considered a seminal work in Chinese art history.
In the realm of literature, Fan Ye (398-445) was a notable historian and writer during the Liu Song Dynasty. He is best known for compiling the "Book of the Later Han," a comprehensive historical record of the Eastern Han Dynasty.
During the Tang Dynasty (618-907), Fan Chengda (active around 632-670) was a celebrated calligrapher and poet. His calligraphic works are highly regarded for their elegance and artistic expression.
In more recent times, Fan Bingbing (born in 1981) is a famous Chinese actress and singer who has gained international recognition for her roles in various films and television series.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have borne the name Fan throughout Chinese history, showcasing the rich cultural heritage and significance associated with this ancient name.
People
Fan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Fan as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with F
Other first names starting with F with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Fan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Fan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Fan going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 171,377,169 US residents.
Is Fan a common name?
We classify Fan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 4.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 17 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Fan most popular?
The single biggest year for Fan was 1927, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Fan is about 93 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Fan in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 3,082 people with the name Fan, or 1.02 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #5,532 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Fan in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Fan?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Fan on both sides of the split. Of the 3,078 people counted with this name, 1,566 were male (50.9%) and 1,512 were female (49.1%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Fan?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Fan is Asian/Pacific Islander at 91.2%. The next largest groups are White (5.6%) and Black (1.4%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Fan most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Fan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (2,811 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Fan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Fan a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Fan in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Fan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Fan in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Fan can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people are called Fan?
You can see how many people share the name Fan on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.