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

Lan, 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 Lan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lan in America

Lan is the 9910th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lan surname appeared 3,262 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 Lan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lan 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 Lan

The surname LAN is believed to have originated in China, where it can be traced back to the 7th century AD. It is derived from the Chinese word "lan," which means "orchid" or "blue." The name was likely given to someone who lived near an area abundant in orchids or had a connection to the color blue.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the LAN surname can be found in the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) records, where a scholar named Lan Yuanqi (646-709 AD) was mentioned. During the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD), a famous poet and calligrapher named Lan Ying (1273-1323 AD) gained recognition for his works.

In the 14th century, the name appeared in the records of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD), where a general named Lan Yu (1335-1396 AD) was noted for his military achievements. Another notable figure from this period was Lan Pu (1523-1595 AD), a respected scholar and philosopher.

As the LAN surname spread across China, it also became associated with various place names. For example, the city of Lanzhou in Gansu Province is believed to have been derived from the name, as well as the Lan River in Sichuan Province.

During the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912 AD), the LAN surname gained further prominence. A renowned artist named Lan Ying (1679-1733 AD) was celebrated for his landscape paintings, while a scholar and official named Lan Tingyuan (1557-1646 AD) was recognized for his contributions to the imperial court.

Throughout its history, the LAN surname has been associated with various scholars, artists, and officials who have made significant contributions to Chinese culture and society.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lan

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

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

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

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