Explore the Family Name An
The meaning of An
1. Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 安, meaning ‘peace, safe’ or ‘calm’ in Chinese: (i) borne by descendants of immigrants from an ancient state called An Xi (安息), also known as the Parthian Empire (located in present-day northeastern Iran). Traditional accounts record that the legendary emperor Huang Di, the ‘Yellow Emperor’ (c.27th century bc), had a grandson named An who moved to the far west to establish An Xi, losing contact with the Middle Kingdom. In 147 AD, An Shigao (安世高), prince of the Parthian Empire (An Xi), came to China to preach Buddhism. Later, some immigrants from the Parthian Empire (An Xi) adopted their tribal name, An, as their surname. (ii) adopted as a surname by the An Chi (安遲) family from the Xianbei ethnic group in northern China during the Northern Wei dynasty (386–534 AD). (iii) from one of the ‘Nine Sogdian Surnames’, also known as ‘Nine Surnames of Zhaowu’, because their ancestors came from Zhaowu, an ancient city in present-day Gansu province in northwestern China. During the Sui and Tang dynasties (581–987 AD) there were nine Sogdian states in Central Asia, one of which was called An (安) in Chinese. Between 649 and 655 AD, these states submitted to Emperor Gaozong of Tang (628–83 AD). (iv) possibly from An (安), the name of an ancient fief (located in Shanxi province). 2. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 晏, see Yan 5. 3. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 洪, see Hong 1. 4. Korean: written 안, in Chinese characters 安, meaning ‘peace’. This is the only Chinese character for the surname An. Some sources indicate that there are 109 An clans, but only six can be documented. All had one common founding ancestor, named Yi Wŏn (李 瑗), who migrated from Tang China to the Shilla Kingdom in 807 AD. Yi had three sons who helped the Shilla king Kyŏngmun (861–75) to repel Japanese invaders. As a token of royal appreciation, these three sons were enfeoffed with land and granted the surname An (安). It is now quite a common Korean surname and can be found throughout the peninsula. Compare Ahn 1. 5. Vietnamese: from the Chinese surname 安 (see 1 above). 6. Vietnamese (Ân): from the Chinese surname 殷 (see Yin 1). Some characteristic forenames: Chinese Sang, Sung, Jae, Kyung, Young, Dong, Kwang, Soo, Hyung, Kyeong, Ping, Sok. Korean Chong, Pyong, Chang, Min, Byung, Byung Yong, Chang Soon, Chul, Dae, Haekyung, Jeong, Seong. Vietnamese Dung, Son, Thi, Bich, Chau Van, Cuc Kim, Diep, Dinh, Dinh Thi, Ha, Hanh, Hung.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name An in the United States?
According to the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname "An" has increased in popularity from 2000 to 2010. It was ranked as the 5831st most common surname in 2000 and rose to the 4353rd position in 2010, marking a significant increase of 25.35%. The number of individuals carrying this surname also grew from 5435 to 8160 during the same period, showing an impressive growth rate of 50.14%. Consequently, the proportion of the surname per 100k population increased by 37.81%, from 2.01 to 2.77.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #5,831 | #4,353 | 25.35% |
| Count | 5,435 | 8,160 | 50.14% |
| Proportion per 100k | 2.01 | 2.77 | 37.81% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name An
In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals that the vast majority of people with the surname "An" identify as Asian/Pacific Islander. In 2000, this group constituted 91.92% of the total, and by 2010, it had marginally increased to 92.99%. Individuals with mixed ethnicities made up 2.24% in 2000, but this figure decreased to 1.42% in 2010. The percentage of Whites also diminished from 4.03% to 3.37% over the decade. However, the number of Hispanics grew by 44.32%, though they still represent a small fraction at 1.27%. While there were no reported Blacks or American Indian and Alaskan Natives with the surname "An" in 2000, by 2010 these groups accounted for 0.87% and 0.07% respectively.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 91.92% | 92.99% | 1.16% |
| White | 4.03% | 3.37% | -16.38% |
| Two or More Races | 2.24% | 1.42% | -36.61% |
| Hispanic | 0.88% | 1.27% | 44.32% |
| Black | 0% | 0.87% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0.07% | 0% |
An ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname An is Korean, which comprises 46.5% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are Chinese (33.8%) and Vietnamese (3.9%). Additional ancestries include Manchurian & Mongolian, British & Irish, Eastern European, Indonesian, Thai, Khmer & Myanma, and French & German.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| Korean | 46.5% |
| Chinese | 33.8% |
| Vietnamese | 3.9% |
| Other | 15.7% |
Possible origins of the surname An
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name An have recent ancestry locations in South Korea and China.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Seoul, South Korea | 45.20% |
| Busan, South Korea | 34.60% |
| Gyeongsangnam Do, South Korea | 23.90% |
| Jeollabuk Do, South Korea | 20.70% |
| Jeollanam Do, South Korea | 18.10% |
What An haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname An is O-Page23, which is predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Haplogroup O-Page23 is descended from haplogroup O-M1359. Other common haplogroups include O-M1470 and O-CTS713, which are predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American and East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Han, Park, Chung, Kang, Chang, Oh, Lee, Sun, Jin, Yang.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with An surname are: D4a, A, D4. These most commonly trace back to individuals of East Asian & Indigenous American and European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins O-M1359
Your paternal lineage may be linked to the Han Chinese
Haplogroup O-Page23 has been found in several populations of the Han Chinese ethnic group. The ancestors of the Han, called the Huaxia, lived in the upriver basin of the Yellow River 5,000-6,000 years ago. As agricultural technology improved, the Huaxia spread east and south, and became the Han Chinese. Over the last 2,000 years, there have been three major migrations of the Han southward. The first of these migrations occurred during the Jin Dynasty from 317 to 420 CE, when nearly one million people moved south. A second migration occurred during the Tang Dynasty, after the An-Shi Rebellion, between 755 and 762 CE. The last migration occurred during the Southern Song Dynasty, from 1127 to 1297 CE, when nearly 5 million people migrated southward. The Pinghua, a branch of Han in which haplogroup O2a2b1a1 is particularly common, may be descendants of indigenous minority groups that adopted Han culture during one such major migration event.
Your maternal lineage may be linked to the Han
Members of haplogroup D are found in both northern and southern Han Chinese populations at low to moderate frequencies. The Han people, who all share the same language and similar cultural practices, are the largest ethnic group in the world, with about 1.2 billion people. Historical evidence shows that Han people are descendants of the ancient Huaxia tribes that come from northern China, and Han language and culture only expanded into southern China in the last 2,000 years. The spread of Han people and culture from northern to southern China was likely driven by warfare and famine in the north.
What do people with the surname An have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"An" Surname 14.7%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Cheek Dimples
Small indentations that appear on the cheeks when a person smiles.
"An" Surname 33.3%
23andMe Users 37.6%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"An" Surname 11.9%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"An" Surname 11.4%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name An?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname An are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition