Explore the Family Name Balan
The meaning of Balan
1. Romanian (Bălan) and Jewish (from Moldova): descriptive nickname from bǎlan ‘blond’, a word of Slavic origin (compare Belan). 2. Spanish (Balán): possibly from Balán, the Spanish form of Balaam, the name of a Biblical prophet (Numbers 22–4). 3. French: derivative of baler ‘to dance’, hence probably a nickname for a dancer. This surname is common in Haiti. 4. Czech (Balán): from a shortened and altered form of the personal name Baltazar. 5. Ukrainian: nickname from balan ‘white ox’. Some other Ukrainian families are of Moldovan origin (see 1 above). 6. Jewish (from Lithuania and Latvia): variant of Balon. 7. Indian (Kerala, Tamil Nadu): from a personal name derived from Sanskrit bāla ‘child’ + the Tamil-Malayalam third-person masculine singular suffix -n. — Note: Since South Indians traditionally do not have hereditary surnames, this name was in most cases registered as such only after immigration of its bearers to the US. Some characteristic forenames: Spanish Cesar, Leopoldo, Pablo, Reynaldo, Alicia, Amalia, Arnaldo, Carlos, Domingo, Edgardo, Emeterio. Indian Ajay, Ajit, Chandra, Dinesh, Mahesh, Prakash, Rajasekhar, Ramesh, Sanjay, Shankar, Siva, Subra. Russian Aleksandr, Boris, Gennady, Lyudmila, Mikhail, Nikolay, Svetlana, Vladimir. French Micheline, Mireille. Romanian Corneliu, Cosmin, Danut, Ilie, Toader, Traian.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Balan in the United States?
According to the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Balan has significantly increased between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked 23,480 but by 2010, it had risen to a rank of 18,218, a growth of 22.41%. The count of people with this surname also presented a considerable increase, from 1,009 in 2000 to 1,527 in 2010, reflecting an impressive surge of 51.34%. The proportion of people named Balan per 100k also experienced a substantial boost, with a 40.54% change over the decade.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #23,480 | #18,218 | 22.41% |
| Count | 1,009 | 1,527 | 51.34% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.37 | 0.52 | 40.54% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Balan
The ethnicity distribution for the Balan surname, as gathered from the Decennial U.S. Census, shows diversity in its holders' ethnic identity. The group with the largest share are those identifying as White, although there has been a slight decrease from 39.25% in 2000 to 37.52% in 2010. An upward trend is observed in the Asian/Pacific Islander category, which went from 24.98% in 2000 to 25.28% in 2010. Meanwhile, the Hispanic category grew from 16.45% to 19.06%, and the Black category increased from 13.78% to 15.85%. The percentage of those identifying as two or more races, however, dropped dramatically from 5.55% in 2000 to 1.90% in 2010. For the first time in 2010, American Indian and Alaskan Native appeared in the data at 0.39%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 39.25% | 37.52% | -4.41% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 24.98% | 25.28% | 1.2% |
| Hispanic | 16.45% | 19.06% | 15.87% |
| Black | 13.78% | 15.85% | 15.02% |
| Two or More Races | 5.55% | 1.9% | -65.77% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0.39% | 0% |