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

Gan, 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 Gan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gan in America

Gan is the 11003rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gan surname appeared 2,891 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Gan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gan 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 Gan

The surname GAN originated in China and dates back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). It is believed to have derived from the Chinese word "gan" which means "dried" or "arid". The earliest recorded examples of the surname can be found in historical records from the Tang Dynasty, where it was often used to describe people who lived in dry, arid regions of China.

During the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD), the surname GAN became more widespread and was associated with several notable scholars and officials. One of the most famous individuals with this surname was Gan Ying, a diplomat and explorer who lived during the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220 AD). Gan Ying is known for his exploration of the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, and his accounts of the regions he visited were influential in promoting trade and cultural exchange between China and the West.

In the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD), the surname GAN was particularly prominent in the province of Zhejiang, where it was associated with several prominent families. One notable individual from this period was Gan Huaizhen (1525-1604), a Confucian scholar and educator who played a significant role in reviving traditional Chinese education and promoting the study of the Confucian classics.

Another notable figure with the surname GAN was Gan Bao (286-336 AD), a writer and historian who compiled the "Soushen Ji" (In Search of the Supernatural), a collection of stories and legends about supernatural events and beings. This work became an important source for understanding Chinese folklore and mythology.

During the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912 AD), the surname GAN continued to be associated with scholars and officials. One notable individual from this period was Gan Qi (1758-1835), a scholar and official who served as a tutor to the Qing imperial family and played a significant role in the compilation of the "Siku Quanshu" (Complete Library of the Four Treasuries), a massive collection of Chinese literary works.

Throughout its history, the surname GAN has also been associated with several place names in China, such as Ganzhou (a city in Jiangxi province), Gansu (a province in northwestern China), and Gannan (a region in Sichuan province). These place names often derived from the same linguistic root as the surname, reflecting the arid or dry nature of the regions they were located in.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gan

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

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

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

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