Find out how popular the last name Belan is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Belan.

Belan, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Belan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Belan in America

Belan is the 56836th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Belan surname appeared 359 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Belan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Belan to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Belan

The surname BELAN has its origins in the Slavic regions of Eastern Europe, particularly in present-day Poland and Ukraine. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is derived from the Slavic word "bel," which means "white" or "fair," suggesting that it may have been initially used as a descriptive nickname for someone with fair hair or a pale complexion.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name BELAN can be found in the 15th-century records of the Polish city of Krakow, where a certain Jan BELAN was mentioned as a merchant and landowner. Another early reference is from the 16th century, when a Petro BELAN was listed as a member of the Cossack military forces in the region of Zaporizhia, in modern-day Ukraine.

In the 17th century, the BELAN surname appeared in various Polish and Ukrainian historical documents, including church records and land registries. One notable individual from this time was Andrei BELAN, a Ukrainian Cossack leader who played a significant role in the Khmelnytsky Uprising against Polish rule in the mid-1600s.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, the BELAN name spread across Eastern Europe as families migrated and settled in different areas. In the late 19th century, a Yuri BELAN (1855-1932) gained recognition as a prominent Ukrainian artist and sculptor, known for his works depicting scenes from Ukrainian folk life.

Another notable figure was Stanislaw BELAN (1872-1949), a Polish engineer and inventor who made significant contributions to the development of early aircraft designs and pioneered the use of metal in aircraft construction.

In the 20th century, the BELAN surname continued to be found across various Slavic countries, including Russia, Belarus, and the Czech Republic. One prominent individual was Ivan BELAN (1904-1982), a Soviet military officer who played a crucial role in the defense of Leningrad during World War II and was awarded the prestigious title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

As for place names and older spellings, the name BELAN is believed to be related to the Polish town of Bielany, which derives from the Slavic word "biel," meaning "white" or "bright." Additionally, variations of the spelling, such as BIELAN or BYELAN, have been documented in historical records.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Belan

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Belan.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Belan was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Belan has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Belan was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Belan, please contact us.

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