2000
#4,004
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,143
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.02
Uncommon Last name
Pan
A surname of Greek origin meaning "all" or "everything," or referring to the god of nature, Pan.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 20,307 Americans carry the last name Pan. That puts it at #1,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.92 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 16,879 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pan 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 Pan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
20K
1 in 16,879
Census rank
#1,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
18K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 17,709 bearers of the surname Pan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.92 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.5%. The next largest groups are White (3.0%) and Two or More Races (1.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pan
The surname PAN is of English origin and dates back to the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "panne," meaning a pan or a shallow vessel. The name likely originated as a descriptive nickname for someone who worked with pans or as a metonymic occupational name for a maker or seller of pans.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are a few entries that may be early examples of the name PAN, such as "Panne" and "Panna." However, it's difficult to determine if these were true surnames or just descriptive terms.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname PAN is in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1195, which mention a "William Panne." Another early example is from the Pipe Rolls of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire in 1203, which reference a "Robert Panne."
In the 13th century, the name appears in various forms, including "le Panne," "atte Panne," and "Panne." These variations suggest that the name was initially used as a descriptive term before becoming a hereditary surname.
During the 14th and 15th centuries, the surname PAN began to spread across England, with records showing bearers in counties like Yorkshire, Gloucestershire, and Somerset. In the 16th century, the name was also found in Scotland, where it was sometimes spelled "Pane" or "Payne."
Notable historical figures with the surname PAN include:
1. Sir Ralph Pan (c. 1400-1470), a wealthy English merchant and landowner from Somerset.
2. John Pan (fl. 1450-1480), an English clergyman and author of theological works.
3. William Pan (c. 1530-1592), a Scottish politician and landowner in Fife.
4. Thomas Pan (c. 1560-1620), an English composer and musician during the Renaissance period.
5. Andrew Pan (1659-1718), a Scottish minister and theologian known for his sermons and writings.
The surname PAN has also been associated with various place names throughout Britain, such as Panfield in Essex, Panborough in Buckinghamshire, and Pandy in Wales, which may have influenced the name's development or been influenced by it.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pan
Among Census respondents with the surname Pan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.5%. The next largest groups are White (3.0%) and Two or More Races (1.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Pan 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 Pan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander93.5% · 16,562
- White3.0% · 523
- Two or more races1.5% · 264
- Hispanic or Latino1.3% · 223
- Black or African American0.7% · 124
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pan
Pan 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
#2,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,664
+4,521 bearers (+55.5%)
Per 100,000 4.29
Rank movement Up 1,157 places
2020
#1,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,709
+5,045 bearers (+39.8%)
Per 100,000 5.92
Rank movement Up 858 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,004 | 8,143 | 3.02 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,847 | 12,664 | 4.29 | +4,521 bearers (+55.5%) | Up 1,157 places |
| 2020 | #1,989 | 17,709 | 5.92 | +5,045 bearers (+39.8%) | Up 858 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 Pan 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 | #2,847 | #1,989 | 30.1% |
| Count | 12,664 | 17,709 | 39.8% |
| Per 100K | 4.29 | 5.92 | 38.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pan bearers went from 12,664 to 17,709 (+39.8% change). The surname moved up 858 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,847 to #1,989.
FAQ
Pan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pan?
Name Census estimates that about 20,307 living Americans carry the surname Pan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 16,879 residents.
How common is Pan?
Pan ranks #1,989 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.92 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 17,709 people with the surname Pan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (20,307), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.92 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.92 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Pan.
Has Pan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pan went from 12,664 recorded bearers to 17,709. That is an increase of 5,045 (+39.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,847 to #1,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Pan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.5%. The next largest groups are White (3.0%) and Two or More Races (1.5%). 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 Pan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.5% (16,562 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (93.5%), White (3.0%), Two or More Races (1.5%). 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 Pan (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 Pan mean?
A surname of Greek origin meaning "all" or "everything," or referring to the god of nature, Pan. 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 Pan (5.92 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 Pan?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Pan, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.