Lan
An unisex name of Chinese origin meaning "orchid" or "delicate flower."
Name Census estimates that about 1,021 living Americans carry the first name Lan. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 71.3% of registrations being female. The average person named Lan today is around 36 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lan births was 1981 (62 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lan. 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.
People living today
1.0K
~ 1 in 335,705 Americans
Peak year
1981
62 babies that year
Average age
36
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,670
Tracked since 1948
Gender
Gender distribution for Lan
Lan is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 1,079 total registrations, 310 (28.7%) were male and 769 (71.3%) were female.
Lan as a male name
- Ranked #8,670 in 2024
- 9 male births in 2024
- Peak: 1981 (19 births)
Lan as a female name
- Ranked #16,916 in 2019
- 5 female births in 2019
- Peak: 1982 (47 births)
Popularity
Lan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lan from the 1940s through to the 2020s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 444 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Lan 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 Lan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Lans live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. California, Texas, Kansas recorded the most babies named Lan, while Louisiana, Kansas, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 61 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Lan
The name Lan has its origins in the Vietnamese language. It is a unisex name that can be bestowed upon both boys and girls. The name is derived from the Vietnamese word "lan," which translates to "orchid" in English. The orchid flower holds significant cultural importance in Vietnam and is often associated with beauty, grace, and refinement.
In ancient Vietnamese folklore and literature, the name Lan is frequently mentioned in connection with tales and poems that celebrate the delicate beauty of the orchid flower. Some scholars believe that the name may have been inspired by the revered Vietnamese Princess Huyen Tran, who lived during the 13th century and was renowned for her intellect and elegance.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lan can be found in the annals of the Ly Dynasty, which ruled Vietnam from 1009 to 1225 CE. During this period, a noblewoman named Lan Anh Nguyen was celebrated for her contributions to the development of the intricate Vietnamese script known as "chu Nom."
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Lan. Lan Xang (1520-1624) was a revered Buddhist monk who played a pivotal role in the spiritual and cultural life of the Lao people. Lan Samantha Chang (born 1965) is an American novelist and professor of English, best known for her critically acclaimed work "Inheritance."
Lan Tu (1835-1905) was a prominent Vietnamese scholar and poet who made significant contributions to the preservation of traditional Vietnamese literature. Lan Cao (born 1961) is a Vietnamese-American author and professor of law, whose works explore themes of identity, immigration, and cultural assimilation.
Lan Anh Le (born 1974) is a highly regarded Vietnamese-American journalist and author, known for her insightful reporting on issues related to human rights and social justice. These are just a few examples of the many individuals who have carried the name Lan throughout history, each leaving their unique mark on the world in their respective fields.
People
Lan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lan as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with L
Other first names starting with L with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Lan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,021 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lan 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 335,705 US residents.
Is Lan a common name?
We classify Lan as "Rare". It ranks above 90.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,079 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lan most popular?
The single biggest year for Lan was 1981, when 62 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lan is about 36 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Lan a female name?
Yes, 71.3% of people registered as Lan 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.
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.