2000
#5,587
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,701
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.11
Uncommon Last name
Fan
A Chinese surname meaning "sail," "fence," or "Buddhist and Taoist ritual," depending on the character used.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,334 Americans carry the last name Fan. That puts it at #2,805 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 23,912 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fan 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 Fan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
14K
1 in 23,912
Census rank
#2,805
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,500 bearers of the surname Fan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2805th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.4%. The next largest groups are White (3.7%) and Two or More Races (1.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fan
Among Census respondents with the surname Fan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.4%. The next largest groups are White (3.7%) and Two or More Races (1.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Fan 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 Fan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander93.4% · 11,678
- White3.7% · 462
- Two or more races1.4% · 174
- Hispanic or Latino0.7% · 90
- Black or African American0.7% · 89
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fan
Fan 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
#4,197
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,441
+2,740 bearers (+48.1%)
Per 100,000 2.86
Rank movement Up 1,390 places
2020
#2,805
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,500
+4,059 bearers (+48.1%)
Per 100,000 4.18
Rank movement Up 1,392 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,587 | 5,701 | 2.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,197 | 8,441 | 2.86 | +2,740 bearers (+48.1%) | Up 1,390 places |
| 2020 | #2,805 | 12,500 | 4.18 | +4,059 bearers (+48.1%) | Up 1,392 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 Fan 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 | #4,197 | #2,805 | 33.2% |
| Count | 8,441 | 12,500 | 48.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.86 | 4.18 | 46.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fan bearers went from 8,441 to 12,500 (+48.1% change). The surname moved up 1,392 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,197 to #2,805.
FAQ
Fan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fan?
Name Census estimates that about 14,334 living Americans carry the surname Fan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 23,912 residents.
How common is Fan?
Fan ranks #2,805 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.18 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,500 people with the surname Fan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,334), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.18 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.18 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Fan.
Has Fan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fan went from 8,441 recorded bearers to 12,500. That is an increase of 4,059 (+48.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,197 to #2,805.
What does the Census say about the background of Fan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.4%. The next largest groups are White (3.7%) and Two or More Races (1.4%). 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 Fan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (11,678 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (93.4%), White (3.7%), Two or More Races (1.4%). 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 Fan (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 Fan mean?
A Chinese surname meaning "sail," "fence," or "Buddhist and Taoist ritual," depending on the character used. 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 Fan (4.18 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 common is the surname Fan?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Fan on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.