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

Nan, 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 Nan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nan in America

Nan is the 30277th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nan surname appeared 773 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Nan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nan 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 Nan

The surname NAN originated in China, dating back to ancient times. It is derived from the Chinese word "nan," which means "south" or "southern," suggesting that the name's earliest bearers may have hailed from southern regions of the country.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname NAN can be found in the Shiji, a historical record written by Sima Qian during the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD). This text mentions a family named Nan, indicating the surname's existence in that era.

During the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), the NAN surname was particularly prominent in the Shandong and Hebei provinces of eastern China. Historical records from this period, such as local gazetteers and family genealogies, document the presence of influential NAN families in these regions.

In the 11th century, a scholar named Nan Huairen (1008-1098) gained fame for his literary works and contributions to Confucian philosophy. He hailed from the city of Shaoxing in Zhejiang Province and is considered one of the most renowned individuals to bear the NAN surname during the Song Dynasty.

Another notable figure was Nan Xilian (1654-1685), a Ming Dynasty writer and poet from Jiangsu Province. His works, particularly his poetry collections, were highly acclaimed and influential in the literary circles of his time.

During the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912), the NAN surname was also found in the southern provinces of China, such as Guangdong and Fujian. One prominent individual from this period was Nan Huaijin (1838-1893), a scholar and government official who played a significant role in the Self-Strengthening Movement, which aimed to modernize China's military and industry.

In more recent history, Nan Rendong (1901-1944) was a renowned linguist and philologist from Shandong Province. He made significant contributions to the study of Chinese linguistics and the preservation of ancient Chinese texts.

It is worth noting that variations of the NAN surname, such as Nan and Nam, are also found in other parts of Asia, including Vietnam and Korea, suggesting possible connections or migrations in ancient times.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nan

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

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

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

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