2000
#4,091
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,016
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.97
Uncommon Last name
Yan
A Chinese surname meaning "swallow," as in the bird, or "flame," depending on the character used.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 19,169 Americans carry the last name Yan. That puts it at #2,105 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.59 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 17,881 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Yan 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 Yan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
19K
1 in 17,881
Census rank
#2,105
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
17K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 16,716 bearers of the surname Yan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.59 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2105th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Yan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.6%. The next largest groups are White (2.6%) and Hispanic (1.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Yan
The surname Yan has its origins in China, dating back to the 6th century AD. It is believed to have derived from the Old Chinese words "yan" and "yen," meaning "flame" or "fire." The name was initially associated with people who lived near or worked with fire, such as blacksmiths or potters.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Yan surname can be found in the historical text "Book of Sui," which documented the Sui Dynasty from 581 to 618 AD. The book mentions a nobleman named Yan Zhitui, who lived from 535 to 609 AD and served as a high-ranking official during the reign of Emperor Yang.
During the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), the Yan surname gained prominence, with several notable figures bearing the name. One such person was Yan Zhenqing, a renowned calligrapher who lived from 709 to 785 AD and is renowned for his contributions to the development of the cursive script known as "xingshu."
In the 11th century, the Yan surname was also associated with the Yan Kingdom, a short-lived state located in present-day Beijing and Hebei provinces. The kingdom was founded by Yan Benedick, a military leader who ruled from 1038 to 1048 AD.
Over the centuries, the Yan surname has spread across various regions of China, with variations in spelling and pronunciation. For instance, in the southern provinces of Guangdong and Fujian, the name is often written as "Yim" or "Yam."
Notable individuals with the Yan surname include Yan Fu (1854-1921), a prominent scholar and translator who introduced Western ideas and philosophies to China. Another significant figure was Yan Xishan (1883-1960), a warlord and military leader who ruled over Shanxi province during the early 20th century.
Other notable Yans throughout history include Yan Liben (600-673 AD), a renowned painter and calligrapher during the Tang Dynasty; Yan Song (1480-1567 AD), a renowned scholar and poet of the Ming Dynasty; and Yan Zhenqing (709-785 AD), a celebrated calligrapher and artist of the Tang Dynasty.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Yan
Among Census respondents with the surname Yan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.6%. The next largest groups are White (2.6%) and Hispanic (1.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Yan 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 Yan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander94.6% · 15,809
- White2.6% · 428
- Hispanic or Latino1.3% · 215
- Two or more races1.1% · 181
- Black or African American0.5% · 82
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Yan
Yan 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
#3,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,354
+3,338 bearers (+41.6%)
Per 100,000 3.85
Rank movement Up 909 places
2020
#2,105
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,716
+5,362 bearers (+47.2%)
Per 100,000 5.59
Rank movement Up 1,077 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,091 | 8,016 | 2.97 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,182 | 11,354 | 3.85 | +3,338 bearers (+41.6%) | Up 909 places |
| 2020 | #2,105 | 16,716 | 5.59 | +5,362 bearers (+47.2%) | Up 1,077 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 Yan 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 | #3,182 | #2,105 | 33.8% |
| Count | 11,354 | 16,716 | 47.2% |
| Per 100K | 3.85 | 5.59 | 45.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Yan bearers went from 11,354 to 16,716 (+47.2% change). The surname moved up 1,077 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,182 to #2,105.
FAQ
Yan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Yan?
Name Census estimates that about 19,169 living Americans carry the surname Yan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 17,881 residents.
How common is Yan?
Yan ranks #2,105 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.59 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 16,716 people with the surname Yan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (19,169), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.59 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.59 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Yan.
Has Yan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Yan went from 11,354 recorded bearers to 16,716. That is an increase of 5,362 (+47.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,182 to #2,105.
What does the Census say about the background of Yan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Yan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.6%. The next largest groups are White (2.6%) and Hispanic (1.3%). 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 Yan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.6% (15,809 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Yan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (94.6%), White (2.6%), Hispanic (1.3%). 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 Yan (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 Yan mean?
A Chinese surname meaning "swallow," as in the bird, or "flame," depending on the character used. 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 Yan (5.59 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 Yan?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.