2000
#14,995
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,809
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.67
Rare Last name
Jan
A surname derived from the given name John, which originated from the Hebrew name Yochanan, meaning "God is gracious."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,917 Americans carry the last name Jan. That puts it at #11,775 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 117,502 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jan 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 Jan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.9K
1 in 117,502
Census rank
#11,775
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,544 bearers of the surname Jan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11775th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 74.1%. The next largest groups are White (16.0%) and Two or More Races (5.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jan
The surname Jan originated in England and Scotland during the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the personal name John, which is of Hebrew origin meaning "Yahweh is gracious." The name Jan is a medieval English and Scottish diminutive form of John.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Jan can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Jan" and "Janne." This suggests that the name was already in use by the late 11th century in England.
In the 13th century, the surname Jan is recorded in various medieval records, such as the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it appears as "Jan" and "Janne." Additionally, the surname is found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from the same period, indicating its presence in northern England.
The surname Jan is also associated with several place names in England, such as Janville, which was derived from the Old French "Jan's ville," meaning "Jan's town." This suggests that some instances of the surname may have originated from these place names.
Notable historical figures with the surname Jan include:
1. John Jan (c. 1350 - c. 1415), an English priest and theologian who served as the Chancellor of the University of Oxford.
2. William Jan (c. 1480 - 1540), a Scottish scholar and clergyman who served as the Rector of the University of St. Andrews.
3. Thomas Jan (c. 1550 - 1617), an English mathematician and astronomer who contributed to the development of logarithms.
4. Edward Jan (1638 - 1712), an English historian and antiquarian who wrote extensively on the history of Shropshire.
5. James Jan (1795 - 1876), a Scottish painter and engraver known for his portraits and landscapes.
The surname Jan has maintained its presence throughout the centuries, with notable bearers contributing to various fields, including academia, literature, and the arts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jan
Among Census respondents with the surname Jan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 74.1%. The next largest groups are White (16.0%) and Two or More Races (5.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Jan 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 Jan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander74.1% · 1,886
- White16.0% · 407
- Two or more races5.6% · 142
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 58
- Black or African American1.7% · 43
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jan
Jan 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
#14,564
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,046
+237 bearers (+13.1%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Up 431 places
2020
#11,775
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,544
+498 bearers (+24.3%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Up 2,789 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,995 | 1,809 | 0.67 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,564 | 2,046 | 0.69 | +237 bearers (+13.1%) | Up 431 places |
| 2020 | #11,775 | 2,544 | 0.85 | +498 bearers (+24.3%) | Up 2,789 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 Jan 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 | #14,564 | #11,775 | 19.1% |
| Count | 2,046 | 2,544 | 24.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.69 | 0.85 | 23.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jan bearers went from 2,046 to 2,544 (+24.3% change). The surname moved up 2,789 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,564 to #11,775.
FAQ
Jan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jan?
Name Census estimates that about 2,917 living Americans carry the surname Jan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 117,502 residents.
How common is Jan?
Jan ranks #11,775 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.85 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 2,544 people with the surname Jan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,917), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.85 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 Jan.
Has Jan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jan went from 2,046 recorded bearers to 2,544. That is an increase of 498 (+24.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,564 to #11,775.
What does the Census say about the background of Jan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 74.1%. The next largest groups are White (16.0%) and Two or More Races (5.6%). 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 Jan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.1% (1,886 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (74.1%), White (16.0%), Two or More Races (5.6%). 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 Jan (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 Jan mean?
A surname derived from the given name John, which originated from the Hebrew name Yochanan, meaning "God is gracious." 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 Jan (0.85 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 Jan?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Jan is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.