2000
#5,781
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,478
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.03
Rare Last name
Quan
A Chinese surname meaning "full, complete, entire, or whole," often indicating a sense of abundance or perfection.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,826 Americans carry the last name Quan. That puts it at #4,983 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.28 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 43,797 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Quan 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 Quan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.8K
1 in 43,797
Census rank
#4,983
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,825 bearers of the surname Quan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.28 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4983rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Quan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 82.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and White (5.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Quan
Among Census respondents with the surname Quan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 82.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and White (5.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Quan 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 Quan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander82.2% · 5,610
- Hispanic or Latino5.9% · 405
- White5.6% · 385
- Two or more races5.3% · 360
- Black or African American0.9% · 59
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Quan
Quan 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
#5,397
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,451
+973 bearers (+17.8%)
Per 100,000 2.19
Rank movement Up 384 places
2020
#4,983
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,825
+374 bearers (+5.8%)
Per 100,000 2.28
Rank movement Up 414 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,781 | 5,478 | 2.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,397 | 6,451 | 2.19 | +973 bearers (+17.8%) | Up 384 places |
| 2020 | #4,983 | 6,825 | 2.28 | +374 bearers (+5.8%) | Up 414 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 Quan 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 | #5,397 | #4,983 | 7.7% |
| Count | 6,451 | 6,825 | 5.8% |
| Per 100K | 2.19 | 2.28 | 4.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Quan bearers went from 6,451 to 6,825 (+5.8% change). The surname moved up 414 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,397 to #4,983.
FAQ
Quan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Quan?
Name Census estimates that about 7,826 living Americans carry the surname Quan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 43,797 residents.
How common is Quan?
Quan ranks #4,983 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.28 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,825 people with the surname Quan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,826), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.28 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.28 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Quan.
Has Quan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Quan went from 6,451 recorded bearers to 6,825. That is an increase of 374 (+5.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,397 to #4,983.
What does the Census say about the background of Quan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Quan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 82.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and White (5.6%). 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 Quan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.2% (5,610 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Quan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (82.2%), Hispanic (5.9%), White (5.6%). 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 Quan (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 Quan mean?
A Chinese surname meaning "full, complete, entire, or whole," often indicating a sense of abundance or perfection. 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 Quan (2.28 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 Quan?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Quan on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.