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

Fan, 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 Fan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fan in America

Fan is the 4197th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fan surname appeared 8,441 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Fan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fan 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 Fan

The surname Fan originated in China, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). It is derived from the Chinese character "樊," which was originally a place name referring to a town located in present-day Henan Province. The name has various meanings, including "bamboo" and "fence," and was likely adopted by people living in or near this town.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Fan surname can be found in the ancient Chinese text "Shiji" (Records of the Grand Historian), written by the historian Sima Qian in the 1st century BC. This work mentions several individuals with the Fan surname, including Fan Kuai, a prominent military leader during the Warring States period (475-221 BC).

During the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD), the Fan surname gained prominence with the rise of Fan Zhongyan, a renowned scholar, writer, and statesman. He was born in 989 AD and is remembered for his contributions to neo-Confucian philosophy and his efforts to reform the imperial examination system.

Another notable figure with the Fan surname was Fan Kuan, a celebrated landscape painter who lived during the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127 AD). His masterpiece, "Travelers Among Mountains and Streams," is considered a pinnacle of Chinese landscape art and is housed in the National Palace Museum in Taipei.

In the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD), the Fan surname continued to be prominent, with individuals such as Fan Qin, a respected scholar and official who served as a Grand Secretary during the reign of the Yongle Emperor (1403-1424 AD).

Moving forward to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912 AD), Fan Zhongyi, a renowned philosopher and author, made significant contributions to the field of neo-Confucianism. He was born in 1611 and is best known for his work "Honan Jingxue," which aimed to revive and promote Confucian teachings.

Throughout history, the Fan surname has been associated with various areas in China, particularly the provinces of Henan, Shandong, and Hebei. While the name has maintained its Chinese origins, it has also been adopted by individuals of other ethnicities and cultures around the world.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fan

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

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

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

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