Explore the Family Name Dan
The meaning of Dan
1. Romanian; Hungarian (mainly Dán): from a short form of the Biblical personal name Daniel (Hungarian Dániel). 2. Romanian: from a short form of the Slavic personal names Bogdan and Prodan. 3. English (Devon and Cornwall): variant of Dann. 4. Jewish (Israeli): from the Biblical personal name Dan, a derivative of Hebrew din ‘to judge’. 5. Vietnamese (Đan): unexplained. 6. Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 但, meaning ‘but’ in Chinese: from another Chinese surname Dan (旦), see 7 below. 7. Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 旦, meaning ‘dawn’ in Chinese: (i) from the personal name Dan (旦), fourth son of King Wen of Zhou (1152–1056 BC). (ii) adopted in place of another Chinese surname Huan (桓). Some descendants changed their surname in order to avoid feud, and some did it because their surname Huan happened to be personal name of Emperor Qinzong of Song (1100–1156 AD), which was taboo in ancient China. 8. Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 淡, meaning ‘tasteless’ in Chinese: (i) a miswritten form of another homophonous Chinese surname 但 (see 6 above). (ii) said to be adopted as the surname by a citizen Liu Dan (劉淡) in Tongzhou (located in Shaanxi province) during the Ming dynasty (1368–1644 AD), because Liu Dan hated an atrocious eunuch called Liu Jin and did not want to bear the same surname with Liu Jin. As a result, he changed his surname to his personal name Dan (淡). 9. Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 丹, meaning ‘red’ in ancient Chinese: (i) said to be traced back to Dan Zhu, the eldest son of the legendary Emperor Yao (c.24th century bc), who was granted with a fief along the Dan River (located in present-day Henan province). (ii) a surname traced back to other minority ethnic groups in ancient northern China such as the Hui, Manchu and Tangut people. 10. Japanese: variously written as 段 ‘terrace’ (if topographic) or ‘rank’; 団 or 團 both ‘group’; 檀 ‘sandalwood’; 壇 ‘dais’ or ‘altar’; or 旦 ‘dawn’ (Chinese in origin). All of these tend to be found in central and western Honshū and in Kyūshū. Some characteristic forenames: Vietnamese Ha To, Hieu, Lam, Chinh, Dung, Dung Anh, Long, Ly, Mai, Minh, Nga, Nguyen Van. Romanian Corneliu, Silviu, Constantin, Dumitru, Ilie, Rodica, Stelian, Vasile.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Dan in the United States?
Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname "Dan" increased in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, the name was ranked 12,317th most popular, but by 2010 it had risen to the 12,012th position, marking a 2.48% increase. The number of individuals with this surname also grew during this decade from 2,315 to 2,599, a substantial rise of 12.27%. Consequently, the proportion of people named Dan per 100,000 also experienced slight growth of 2.33%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #12,317 | #12,012 | 2.48% |
| Count | 2,315 | 2,599 | 12.27% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.86 | 0.88 | 2.33% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Dan
The ethnic identity associated with the surname "Dan" skewed more toward Asian/Pacific Islander and White demographics, according to data from the Decennial U.S. Census. Between 2000 and 2010, there was a significant increase in Asians/Pacific Islanders bearing the surname, growing from 23.46% to 26.74%, a rise of nearly 14%. However, the percentage of Whites with the surname dropped slightly from 51.02% to 48.40%, a decrease of approximately 5%. Interestingly, the Hispanic population with this surname saw the highest percentage increase at nearly 48%, rising from 2.76% to 4.08%. The percentages for Two or More Races and American Indian and Alaskan Native also fluctuated, increasing slightly by 4.83% and decreasing by 9.72% respectively. Meanwhile, the Black population with this surname decreased from 5.66% to 4.77% over the decade.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 51.02% | 48.4% | -5.14% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 23.46% | 26.74% | 13.98% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 13.17% | 11.89% | -9.72% |
| Black | 5.66% | 4.77% | -15.72% |
| Two or More Races | 3.93% | 4.12% | 4.83% |
| Hispanic | 2.76% | 4.08% | 47.83% |
Dan 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 Dan is Greek & Balkan, which comprises 22.7% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (16.4%) and Eastern European (8.3%). Additional ancestries include French & German, Ashkenazi Jewish, Chinese, Japanese, and Italian.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| Greek & Balkan | 22.7% |
| British & Irish | 16.4% |
| Eastern European | 8.3% |
| Other | 52.5% |
Possible origins of the surname Dan
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 Dan have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Romania.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Edinburgh, United Kingdom | 30.30% |
| Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom | 30.30% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 30.30% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 30.30% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 30.30% |
What Dan 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 Dan is I-L460, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup I-L460 is descended from haplogroup I-M170. Other common haplogroups include R-L21 and J-M172, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Real, Gaynor, Mahler, Philip, Roche, Weinberger, Roach, Schenk, Martin, Jerome.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Dan surname are: M, N, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins I-M170Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Dan 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.
"Dan" Surname 54.5%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Cheek Dimples
Small indentations that appear on the cheeks when a person smiles.
"Dan" Surname 41.7%
23andMe Users 37.6%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Dan" Surname 26.1%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Dan?
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 Dan are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition