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

Phan, 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 Phan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Phan in America

Phan is the 918th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Phan surname appeared 37,836 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 13 people would have the surname Phan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Phan 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 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.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Phan

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

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

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

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