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

Tsan, 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 Tsan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tsan in America

Tsan is the 28829th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tsan surname appeared 825 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Tsan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tsan 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 Tsan

The surname TSAN has its origins in ancient Armenia, dating back to the 5th century AD. It is derived from the Armenian word "tsan," which means "path" or "way." The name was likely given to individuals who lived near a prominent path or road, or who worked as guides or travelers.

In the early medieval period, the name TSAN appeared in several Armenian manuscripts and historical records. One of the earliest known references is found in the 7th-century manuscript "The History of Armenia" by Movses Khorenatsi, which mentions a nobleman named Tsan Artsruni.

The name TSAN gained prominence in the 9th century when the Tsan family became a powerful noble clan in the Kingdom of Vaspurakan, located in what is now eastern Turkey. The family played a significant role in the region's politics and military campaigns against the Byzantine Empire and Arab caliphates.

One of the most notable figures bearing the surname TSAN was Gagik Tsan, who ruled as the King of Vaspurakan from 908 to 943 AD. He is remembered for his successful defense of the kingdom against Byzantine and Arab invasions and for his patronage of Armenian culture and education.

Another prominent individual with the surname TSAN was Khosrov Tsan, a 10th-century Armenian prince and military commander. He fought alongside his father, King Ashot III of Armenia, against the invading forces of the Byzantine Empire and is credited with several victories.

In the 11th century, the surname TSAN appeared in the "Codex Diplomaticus Arpadianus," a collection of diplomatic documents from the Kingdom of Hungary. This suggests that Armenians bearing the name TSAN had migrated to Hungary and other parts of Europe during this period.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname TSAN outside of Armenia can be found in the "Domesday Book," a comprehensive survey of landowners in England conducted in 1086 AD. The name is listed as "Tsan" and is believed to refer to an individual of Armenian descent.

Throughout the centuries, the surname TSAN has been associated with various prominent figures in Armenian history, including the 13th-century cleric and scholar Vardan Tsan, the 17th-century merchant and philanthropist Khachatur Tsan, and the 19th-century writer and poet Raffi Tsan.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tsan

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

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

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

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