Chuan last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Chuan

A Chinese family name derived from a place name.

Chuan, 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 Chuan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Chuan in America

Chuan is the 107669th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Chuan surname appeared 165 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 Chuan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Chuan 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 107669 101654 5.75%
Count 165 164 0.61%
Proportion per 100k 0.06 0.06 0.00%

The history of the last name Chuan

The surname CHUAN originated in China, with roots dating back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). It is believed to have originated from the Chinese word "chuan," which means "river" or "stream." This suggests that the name likely referred to people who lived near a body of water or worked on rivers or canals.

One of the earliest known references to the CHUAN surname can be found in the "Xin Tang Shu" (New Book of Tang), a historical text compiled in the 11th century AD. This text mentions several individuals with the CHUAN surname who held official positions during the Tang Dynasty.

During the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD), the CHUAN surname became more widespread, particularly in the provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui. These areas were known for their extensive river systems and thriving trade along the waterways, which may have contributed to the prevalence of the CHUAN name in those regions.

One notable individual with the CHUAN surname was Chuan Xu (1081-1146 AD), a renowned Neo-Confucian scholar and philosopher during the Song Dynasty. He was known for his influential works on ethics and moral philosophy.

In the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD), the CHUAN surname was found in various historical records, including the "Ming Shi" (History of Ming), which mentions several individuals with this surname who held governmental positions or were involved in literary pursuits.

Another famous individual bearing the CHUAN surname was Chuan Xue (1468-1541 AD), a highly respected educator and calligrapher during the Ming Dynasty. He was known for his innovative teaching methods and his beautiful calligraphic works, which are still admired today.

During the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912 AD), the CHUAN surname continued to be prevalent in various regions of China. One notable figure from this period was Chuan Zheng (1805-1864 AD), a renowned scholar and historian who wrote extensively about the history and culture of China.

Throughout history, the CHUAN surname has been associated with various place names and older spellings, such as "Chuanzhou" (a former prefecture in Zhejiang province) and "Chuanxian" (a former county in Anhui province). These place names likely derived from the same root word as the surname, reflecting the connection between the name and the geographical features of rivers and streams.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Chuan

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

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 Chuan was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 4.24% 7
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 85.45% 141
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races (S)% (S)
Hispanic Origin 8.48% 14

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 Chuan has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 4.24% (S)% (S)%
Black (S)% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander 85.45% 90.24% -5.45%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Two or More Races (S)% (S)% (S)%
Hispanic 8.48% 6.10% 32.65%

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 Chuan was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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"Chuan last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 12, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/chuan-surname-popularity/.

"Chuan last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/chuan-surname-popularity/. Accessed 12 December, 2024

Chuan last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/chuan-surname-popularity/.

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