2000
#22,870
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,045
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.39
Rare Last name
Duan
A Chinese surname meaning "origin, beginning, starting point."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,537 Americans carry the last name Duan. That puts it at #9,986 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 96,905 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Duan surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Duan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.5K
1 in 96,905
Census rank
#9,986
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,084 bearers of the surname Duan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9986th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Duan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.0%. The next largest groups are White (3.8%) and Hispanic (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Duan
The surname DUAN originated in China and is believed to have emerged during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). It is derived from the Chinese word "duan," which means "short" or "broken." The name was likely given as a descriptive surname to someone who was short in stature or had a disability that caused them to appear short or broken.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname DUAN can be traced back to the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD). Historical records from this period mention individuals with this surname living in various regions of China, including Shandong, Henan, and Jiangsu provinces.
One notable individual bearing the surname DUAN was Duan Chengshi (1123-1185 AD), a prominent scholar and poet during the Southern Song Dynasty. He was known for his expertise in Confucian classics and his contributions to the development of Neo-Confucianism.
Another historical figure with the surname DUAN was Duan Qirui (1835-1908), a prominent military leader and statesman during the late Qing Dynasty. He played a crucial role in suppressing the Taiping Rebellion and later served as the Governor of Zhili Province.
During the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD), the surname DUAN was also associated with several notable individuals. One example is Duan Tidu (1464-1546), a highly respected scholar and author who wrote extensively on Confucian philosophy and literature.
In the early 20th century, Duan Qirui (1865-1936), a politician and warlord, played a significant role in the Warlord Era of China. He served as the Premier of the Republic of China from 1918 to 1920 and was known for his attempts to unify the country during a period of political turmoil.
Throughout its history, the surname DUAN has been associated with various place names and locations in China. For instance, the town of Duanzhou in Guangdong Province is believed to have been named after individuals with the DUAN surname who settled in the area.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Duan
Among Census respondents with the surname Duan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.0%. The next largest groups are White (3.8%) and Hispanic (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Duan bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Duan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander94.0% · 2,898
- White3.8% · 117
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 30
- Black or African American0.8% · 24
- Two or more races0.5% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Duan
Duan appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#16,728
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,710
+665 bearers (+63.6%)
Per 100,000 0.58
Rank movement Up 6,142 places
2020
#9,986
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,084
+1,374 bearers (+80.4%)
Per 100,000 1.03
Rank movement Up 6,742 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #22,870 | 1,045 | 0.39 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,728 | 1,710 | 0.58 | +665 bearers (+63.6%) | Up 6,142 places |
| 2020 | #9,986 | 3,084 | 1.03 | +1,374 bearers (+80.4%) | Up 6,742 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Duan surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #16,728 | #9,986 | 40.3% |
| Count | 1,710 | 3,084 | 80.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.58 | 1.03 | 77.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Duan bearers went from 1,710 to 3,084 (+80.4% change). The surname moved up 6,742 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,728 to #9,986.
FAQ
Duan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Duan?
Name Census estimates that about 3,537 living Americans carry the surname Duan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 96,905 residents.
How common is Duan?
Duan ranks #9,986 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,084 people with the surname Duan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,537), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Duan.
Has Duan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Duan went from 1,710 recorded bearers to 3,084. That is an increase of 1,374 (+80.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #16,728 to #9,986.
What does the Census say about the background of Duan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Duan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.0%. The next largest groups are White (3.8%) and Hispanic (1.0%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Duan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.0% (2,898 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Duan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (94.0%), White (3.8%), Hispanic (1.0%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Duan (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Duan mean?
A Chinese surname meaning "origin, beginning, starting point." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Duan (1.03 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Duan?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.