2000
#12,343
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,309
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.86
Rare Last name
Gan
A Chinese surname meaning "clean" or "pure," or referring to the ancient state of Gan.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,020 Americans carry the last name Gan. That puts it at #8,958 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 85,262 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gan 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 Gan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.0K
1 in 85,262
Census rank
#8,958
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,506 bearers of the surname Gan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8958th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 78.6%. The next largest groups are White (15.9%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gan
Among Census respondents with the surname Gan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 78.6%. The next largest groups are White (15.9%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Gan 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 Gan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander78.6% · 2,756
- White15.9% · 559
- Two or more races2.4% · 85
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 79
- Black or African American0.5% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gan
Gan 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
#11,003
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,891
+582 bearers (+25.2%)
Per 100,000 0.98
Rank movement Up 1,340 places
2020
#8,958
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,506
+615 bearers (+21.3%)
Per 100,000 1.17
Rank movement Up 2,045 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,343 | 2,309 | 0.86 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,003 | 2,891 | 0.98 | +582 bearers (+25.2%) | Up 1,340 places |
| 2020 | #8,958 | 3,506 | 1.17 | +615 bearers (+21.3%) | Up 2,045 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 Gan 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 | #11,003 | #8,958 | 18.6% |
| Count | 2,891 | 3,506 | 21.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.98 | 1.17 | 19.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gan bearers went from 2,891 to 3,506 (+21.3% change). The surname moved up 2,045 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,003 to #8,958.
FAQ
Gan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gan?
Name Census estimates that about 4,020 living Americans carry the surname Gan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 85,262 residents.
How common is Gan?
Gan ranks #8,958 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.17 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 3,506 people with the surname Gan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,020), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.17 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 Gan.
Has Gan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gan went from 2,891 recorded bearers to 3,506. That is an increase of 615 (+21.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,003 to #8,958.
What does the Census say about the background of Gan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 78.6%. The next largest groups are White (15.9%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Gan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.6% (2,756 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (78.6%), White (15.9%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Gan (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 Gan mean?
A Chinese surname meaning "clean" or "pure," or referring to the ancient state of Gan. 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 Gan (1.17 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 people have the surname Gan?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.