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

Quan, 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 Quan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Quan in America

Quan is the 5397th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Quan surname appeared 6,451 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Quan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Quan 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 Quan

The surname "QUAN" is of Chinese origin and can be traced back to the 6th century CE. It is believed to have originated in the Guangdong province of southern China, where it was originally spelled as "Quan" or "Kuan". The name is derived from the Chinese word "quan", which means "river" or "stream".

In ancient Chinese records, such as the "Hou Han Shu" (Book of the Later Han Dynasty), there are references to people with the surname "Quan" living in the Guangdong region during the 6th and 7th centuries. Some of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname include Quan Zhongmiao (588-658 CE), a renowned Confucian scholar, and Quan Deyu (620-692 CE), a prominent poet and calligrapher.

By the Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE), the "Quan" surname had spread to other parts of China, and variations in spelling and pronunciation emerged. In the northern regions, it was sometimes written as "Kuan", while in the south, it remained "Quan". During this period, there are mentions of Quan Changsheng (679-737 CE), a high-ranking official in the Tang court, and Quan Tangshi (702-778 CE), a celebrated Buddhist monk and scholar.

As the centuries passed, the "Quan" surname continued to be found across various parts of China. In the Song Dynasty (960-1279 CE), there was Quan Deyu (998-1063 CE), a renowned poet and essayist. During the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 CE), Quan Zuwang (1572-1638 CE) was a prominent scholar and calligrapher.

In more recent history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname "Quan". These include Quan Zhongansheng (1888-1976 CE), a influential educator and reformer, and Quan Deyu (1759-1844 CE), a respected scholar and philosopher.

While the "Quan" surname has its roots in China, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora communities. However, it remains closely associated with its Chinese heritage and the rich cultural history of the Guangdong region.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Quan

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

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

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

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