2000
#1,193
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 26,903
First available Census row
Per 100,000 9.97
Uncommon Last name
Phan
A Vietnamese surname derived from the Chinese surname Fan, meaning "sail" or "joyous."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 55,116 Americans carry the last name Phan. That puts it at #693 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 16.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 6,219 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Phan 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 Phan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
55K
1 in 6,219
Census rank
#693
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
16.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
48K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 48,064 bearers of the surname Phan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 16.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 693rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Phan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.1%) and White (1.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Phan
The surname Phan originated in Vietnam, with records showing its presence as early as the 15th century. Its origins can be traced back to the Vietnamese word "phan," which means "to divide" or "to separate." This suggests that the name might have been associated with individuals involved in dividing or separating lands, or perhaps related to a specific location or territory.
One of the earliest references to the surname Phan can be found in the Annals of Dai Viet, a historical record of the Dai Viet kingdom (present-day Vietnam), which mentions several individuals bearing this name during the reign of the Le dynasty in the 15th and 16th centuries.
In the 17th century, the Phan surname appeared in various village records and local administrative documents, indicating its widespread use among the Vietnamese population. Some notable individuals from this period include Phan Huy Ich (1750-1822), a prominent Confucian scholar and philosopher, and Phan Boi Chau (1867-1940), a renowned Vietnamese nationalist and revolutionary leader who fought against French colonial rule.
As the Vietnamese diaspora spread across the globe, the Phan surname traveled with them. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, many Vietnamese immigrants settled in various parts of the world, including France, the United States, and other countries. One notable figure from this period is Phan Chu Trinh (1872-1926), a Vietnamese nationalist and advocate for independence who spent time in exile in France.
Moving into the 20th century, the Phan surname continued to be carried by notable individuals, such as Phan Thiet (1891-1966), a Vietnamese journalist and activist who played a significant role in the country's nationalist movement, and Phan Rang Thao Cam Van (1924-2016), a renowned Vietnamese writer and poet.
Throughout its history, the surname Phan has been associated with various places and locations in Vietnam, including Phan Rang, a city in Ninh Thuan Province, and Phan Thiet, a coastal city in Binh Thuan Province. These place names may have influenced the evolution and spread of the surname over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Phan
Among Census respondents with the surname Phan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.1%) and White (1.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Phan 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 Phan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander95.2% · 45,748
- Two or more races2.1% · 1,009
- White1.6% · 785
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 390
- Black or African American0.2% · 111
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Phan
Phan 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
#918
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 37,836
+10,933 bearers (+40.6%)
Per 100,000 12.83
Rank movement Up 275 places
2020
#693
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 48,064
+10,228 bearers (+27.0%)
Per 100,000 16.08
Rank movement Up 225 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,193 | 26,903 | 9.97 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #918 | 37,836 | 12.83 | +10,933 bearers (+40.6%) | Up 275 places |
| 2020 | #693 | 48,064 | 16.08 | +10,228 bearers (+27.0%) | Up 225 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 Phan 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 | #918 | #693 | 24.5% |
| Count | 37,836 | 48,064 | 27.0% |
| Per 100K | 12.83 | 16.08 | 25.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Phan bearers went from 37,836 to 48,064 (+27.0% change). The surname moved up 225 positions in the national ranking, going from #918 to #693.
FAQ
Phan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Phan?
Name Census estimates that about 55,116 living Americans carry the surname Phan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 6,219 residents.
How common is Phan?
Phan ranks #693 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 16.08 per 100,000 residents, which is about 16 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 48,064 people with the surname Phan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (55,116), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 16.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 16.08 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 16 of them to have the surname Phan.
Has Phan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Phan went from 37,836 recorded bearers to 48,064. That is an increase of 10,228 (+27.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #918 to #693.
What does the Census say about the background of Phan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Phan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.1%) and White (1.6%). 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 Phan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.2% (45,748 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Phan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (95.2%), Two or More Races (2.1%), White (1.6%). 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 Phan (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 Phan mean?
A Vietnamese surname derived from the Chinese surname Fan, meaning "sail" or "joyous." 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 Phan (16.08 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 last name Phan?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Phan at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.