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

Tan, 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 Tan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tan in America

Tan is the 1090th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tan surname appeared 32,120 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 11 people would have the surname Tan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tan 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 Tan

The surname Tan is believed to have originated from the Chinese language, specifically from the Mandarin Chinese word "tan" which means "tanbark" or "tanner." It is a common surname in various regions of China, particularly in the southeastern coastal provinces like Guangdong, Fujian, and Zhejiang.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Tan can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) in ancient China. During this period, the surname was often associated with individuals involved in the tanning industry or those who worked with leather.

In the 11th century, the Tan surname appears in the famous historical record known as the "Song Huiyao," a compilation of administrative documents from the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD). This suggests that the name had already gained recognition and prominence by that time.

One notable figure in Chinese history bearing the surname Tan was Tan Qian (1594-1658), a renowned scholar and calligrapher during the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. He was known for his exceptional calligraphy skills and his contributions to the development of the "Zhuang" calligraphic style.

Another significant individual with the surname Tan was Tan Zhongyi (1880-1976), a prominent educator and philosopher in modern China. He played a crucial role in the promotion of Western philosophical ideas and the modernization of Chinese education.

In the realm of literature, Tan Xizhi (1886-1973) was a celebrated writer and poet from Guangdong Province. His works often explored themes of social justice and the experiences of the common people.

Beyond China, the Tan surname has also gained prominence in other parts of the world, particularly in Southeast Asian countries with large Chinese diaspora communities, such as Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia.

One notable figure of Tan descent from Singapore was Tan Kah Kee (1874-1961), a prominent businessman, philanthropist, and community leader. He played a significant role in the development of education and social welfare in Singapore and the Chinese community in Southeast Asia.

In the United States, Tan Dun (born 1957) is a renowned Chinese-American composer and conductor. He is best known for his score for the film "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," for which he won an Academy Award in 2001.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tan

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

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

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

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