2000
#6,747
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,605
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.71
Rare Last name
Wan
A Chinese surname meaning "ten thousand" or "many," indicating a large number or an immense amount.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,511 Americans carry the last name Wan. That puts it at #4,631 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.48 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 40,272 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wan 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 Wan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.5K
1 in 40,272
Census rank
#4,631
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,422 bearers of the surname Wan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.48 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4631st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 90.3%. The next largest groups are White (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wan
The surname "WAN" is believed to have originated from China, with records dating back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). It is derived from the Chinese character "万", which means "myriad" or "countless". This character was often used to represent a large number or abundance.
In ancient China, surnames were often given to families based on their occupation, location, or personal characteristics. The surname "WAN" may have been given to families who were wealthy or had a large number of descendants, reflecting the meaning of the character.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname "WAN" can be found in the "Tang Huiyao", a historical text compiled during the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD). This text mentions a person named Wan Zhenggong, who served as a high-ranking official during the Tang Dynasty.
During the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD), the surname "WAN" was prominent in various regions of China, particularly in the provinces of Guangdong and Fujian. In the "Ming Shi", a historical record of the Ming Dynasty, there are mentions of several notable individuals with the surname "WAN", such as Wan Guoxuan (1501-1578), a renowned scholar and writer.
In the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912 AD), the surname "WAN" continued to be widely used across China. One notable figure from this period was Wan Sida (1636-1713), a famous Confucian scholar and philosopher who made significant contributions to the study of the Confucian classics.
Throughout history, the surname "WAN" has also been associated with various place names in China. For example, the city of Wanzhou in Chongqing was named after the Wan family, who were prominent landowners in the area during the Tang Dynasty.
Other notable historical figures with the surname "WAN" include Wan Xizhi (309-365 AD), a celebrated calligrapher during the Jin Dynasty, and Wan Huida (1599-1658), a prominent Ming Dynasty scholar and poet.
While the surname "WAN" has been prevalent throughout Chinese history, it has also been adopted by individuals of other ethnicities and nationalities over time. However, its origins can be traced back to ancient China, where it was associated with prosperity, abundance, and a large family lineage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wan
Among Census respondents with the surname Wan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 90.3%. The next largest groups are White (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Wan 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 Wan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander90.3% · 6,699
- White3.9% · 286
- Two or more races3.0% · 225
- Hispanic or Latino1.4% · 106
- Black or African American1.4% · 105
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wan
Wan 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
#5,911
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,831
+1,226 bearers (+26.6%)
Per 100,000 1.98
Rank movement Up 836 places
2020
#4,631
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,422
+1,591 bearers (+27.3%)
Per 100,000 2.48
Rank movement Up 1,280 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,747 | 4,605 | 1.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,911 | 5,831 | 1.98 | +1,226 bearers (+26.6%) | Up 836 places |
| 2020 | #4,631 | 7,422 | 2.48 | +1,591 bearers (+27.3%) | Up 1,280 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 Wan 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 | #5,911 | #4,631 | 21.7% |
| Count | 5,831 | 7,422 | 27.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.98 | 2.48 | 25.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wan bearers went from 5,831 to 7,422 (+27.3% change). The surname moved up 1,280 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,911 to #4,631.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Wan
FAQ
Wan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wan?
Name Census estimates that about 8,511 living Americans carry the surname Wan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 40,272 residents.
How common is Wan?
Wan ranks #4,631 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.48 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 7,422 people with the surname Wan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,511), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.48 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.48 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 Wan.
Has Wan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wan went from 5,831 recorded bearers to 7,422. That is an increase of 1,591 (+27.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,911 to #4,631.
What does the Census say about the background of Wan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 90.3%. The next largest groups are White (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Wan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.3% (6,699 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (90.3%), White (3.9%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Wan (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 Wan mean?
A Chinese surname meaning "ten thousand" or "many," indicating a large number or an immense amount. 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 Wan (2.48 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 surname Wan?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.