2000
#18,008
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,429
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.53
Rare Last name
Than
Of Thai origin, referring to a person with red skin or a ruddy complexion.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,281 Americans carry the last name Than. That puts it at #10,664 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.96 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 104,466 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Than 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.
Bearers in the US
3.3K
1 in 104,466
Census rank
#10,664
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,861 bearers of the surname Than in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.96 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10664th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Than, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.1%) and White (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Than
The surname THAN is believed to have originated in England during the late 12th century. It is thought to have derived from the Old English word "þæne" which means "the one". This word was often used as a descriptive term to identify individuals.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name THAN can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire, dated 1195. These rolls were a record of financial transactions made by the English Exchequer during the reign of King Richard I. The name appears several times, suggesting that it was relatively common in Yorkshire at the time.
In the 13th century, the name THAN is documented in the Hundredorum Rolls of Oxfordshire. These rolls were a survey of landholdings and tenants conducted in 1274-1275. The records show that a person named William THAN held land in the village of Ducklington.
One of the most notable individuals with the surname THAN in history was John THAN, a wealthy merchant from Bristol who lived during the 15th century (c. 1420-1490). He was a prominent member of the city's trading community and served as the Mayor of Bristol in 1471.
Another individual of note was Sir Thomas THAN (c. 1530-1590), an English nobleman and member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. He served as the High Sheriff of Gloucestershire in 1572 and was knighted by the Queen in 1585.
In the 17th century, the name THAN appears in the records of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. One of the earliest settlers with this surname was Richard THAN, who arrived in Boston in 1635 from Dorset, England.
Another notable figure was Peter THAN (1671-1735), a farmer and landowner in the colony of Virginia. He was among the first settlers of what is now Orange County, Virginia, and his descendants continued to live in the area for generations.
The surname THAN has also been associated with several place names in England, including Thanet in Kent and Thame in Oxfordshire. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Than
Among Census respondents with the surname Than, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.1%) and White (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Than 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 Than surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander94.9% · 2,714
- Two or more races2.1% · 59
- White1.9% · 54
- Hispanic or Latino1.1% · 31
- Black or African American0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Than
Than 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
#14,930
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,983
+554 bearers (+38.8%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Up 3,078 places
2020
#10,664
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,861
+878 bearers (+44.3%)
Per 100,000 0.96
Rank movement Up 4,266 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #18,008 | 1,429 | 0.53 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,930 | 1,983 | 0.67 | +554 bearers (+38.8%) | Up 3,078 places |
| 2020 | #10,664 | 2,861 | 0.96 | +878 bearers (+44.3%) | Up 4,266 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 Than 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 | #14,930 | #10,664 | 28.6% |
| Count | 1,983 | 2,861 | 44.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.67 | 0.96 | 42.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Than bearers went from 1,983 to 2,861 (+44.3% change). The surname moved up 4,266 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,930 to #10,664.
FAQ
Than surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Than?
Name Census estimates that about 3,281 living Americans carry the surname Than. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 104,466 residents.
How common is Than?
Than ranks #10,664 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.96 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,861 people with the surname Than. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,281), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.96 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.96 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Than.
Has Than become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Than went from 1,983 recorded bearers to 2,861. That is an increase of 878 (+44.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,930 to #10,664.
What does the Census say about the background of Than?
Among Census respondents with the surname Than, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.1%) and White (1.9%). 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 Than in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.9% (2,714 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Than appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (94.9%), Two or More Races (2.1%), White (1.9%). 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 Than (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 Than mean?
Of Thai origin, referring to a person with red skin or a ruddy complexion. 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 Than (0.96 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 Than?
You can see how many people are called Than on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.