Explore the Family Name Gan
The meaning of Gan
1. Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 甘, meaning ‘sweet, pleasant’ in Chinese: (i) from the personal name of Gan Pan (甘盤), a high official during the reign of King Wu Ding (died 1192 BC), in the Shang dynasty. (ii) from Gan (甘), the name of an ancient state (located in present-day Shaanxi province) during the Xia dynasty (2070–1600 BC). (iii) from Gan (甘), the name of a fief (located in present-day Luoyang in Henan province) granted to Dai, who was known as Gan Zhao Gong (甘昭公, Duke Zhao of Gan), son of King Xiang of Zhou (died 619 BC). 2. Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 干, meaning ‘shield’ in ancient Chinese: (i) from the personal name of Gan Chou (干犨), an official in the state of Song (located in present-day Shangqiu in Henan province) during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC). (ii) from the placename Gan (邗), the name of a fief (located in present-day Yangzhou in Jiangsu province) that was granted to the son of King Wu of Zhou (c.1087–1043 BC). When the placename was adopted as a surname, people simplified the Chinese character 邗 to 干, which has the same pronunciation. (iii) from the placename Gan Sui (干隧) (located in present-day Wuxian in Jiangsu province). (iv) from the He Gan (紇干) family, of the Xianbei ethnic group in northern China, who changed their original surname to 干 during the Northern Wei dynasty (386–534 AD). (v) from the compound surname Gan-Lei (干類), said to be originally the name of an ancient state (unknown location) prior to the Xia dynasty (2070–1600 BC). 3. Chinese: alternative Cantonese form of the surname 簡, see Jian 1. 4. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 嚴 and 顏, possibly based on their Hokkien pronunciations, see Yan 1 and 4. 5. Filipino: of Chinese origin, variant Romanization of the surname 嚴 (see 4 above). 6. Irish: from Mag Gana, see McGann. Some characteristic forenames: Chinese Li, Hong, Hua, Jee, Jian, Cheong, Chin, Chuan, Eng, Hui Ming, Jianmin, Jing.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Gan in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Gan has seen a surge in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked 12,343 in terms of prevalence but jumped to 11,003 by 2010 – a rise of approximately 10.86%. Similarly, the count of individuals with the last name Gan increased from 2309 in 2000 to 2891 in 2010, a growth of 25.21%. The proportion of this surname per 100,000 people also grew by 13.95%, shifting from 0.86 to 0.98.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #12,343 | #11,003 | 10.86% |
| Count | 2,309 | 2,891 | 25.21% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.86 | 0.98 | 13.95% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Gan
Ethnicity-wise, data from the Decennial U.S. Census reveals that the Gan surname is most commonly associated with the Asian/Pacific Islander ethnic identity. As of 2000, 62.41% of those carrying the Gan surname identified as such, and this figure rose to 73.19% in 2010 - an increase of 17.27%. However, there was a noticeable decrease of 30.37% among those identifying as white, dropping from 30.1% in 2000 to 20.96% in 2010. The percentage of individuals identifying as Hispanic decreased by 7.59%, and those identifying as two or more races dropped by 17.69%. Meanwhile, no individuals with the Gan surname identified as Black or American Indian and Alaskan Native in 2010, compared to 1.47% and 0.39% respectively in 2000.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 62.41% | 73.19% | 17.27% |
| White | 30.1% | 20.96% | -30.37% |
| Hispanic | 3.03% | 2.8% | -7.59% |
| Two or More Races | 2.6% | 2.14% | -17.69% |
| Black | 1.47% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.39% | 0% | 0% |
Gan 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 Gan is Chinese, which comprises 66.6% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (6.8%) and Filipino & Austronesian (6.2%). Additional ancestries include French & German, Ashkenazi Jewish, Chinese Dai, Manchurian & Mongolian, and Eastern European.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| Chinese | 66.6% |
| British & Irish | 6.8% |
| Filipino & Austronesian | 6.2% |
| Other | 20.4% |
Possible origins of the surname Gan
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 Gan have recent ancestry locations in China and Taiwan.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Shandong, China | 54.50% |
| Fujian, China | 54.50% |
| Guangdong, China | 54.50% |
| Jiangsu, China | 54.50% |
| Zhejiang, China | 54.50% |
What Gan 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 Gan is O-F2415, which is predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Haplogroup O-F2415 is descended from haplogroup O-M1359. Other common haplogroups include E-M183 and O-F2859, which are predominantly found among people with European and East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Gan surname are: N, R, D4. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins O-M1359
Your paternal lineage may be linked to the Cham
One of the many populations harboring members of haplogroup O1b1a1a1a1 is the Cham ethnic group, a group of people who speak Austronesian languages in Mainland Southeast Asia. Austronesian languages make up a language family that is extremely large and widespread, comprising over 350 million people on islands such as Madagascar, Easter Island, and many others. However, Austronesian languages are less common on mainland Asia, with a notable exception being the Chamic language. Research suggests that ancestors of the Cham people migrated from Southeast Asian islands to the mainland around the year 500 BCE, and that early Cham populations quickly began mixing with indigenous southern Vietnamese populations. As a result, the Chamic language now has words that were borrowed from languages spoken by indigenous Vietnamese people. It is likely that an ancestral Kinh population was one of the populations that mixed with the Cham people shortly after their migration to mainland Asia.
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 Gan 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.
"Gan" Surname 29.6%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Cheek Dimples
Small indentations that appear on the cheeks when a person smiles.
"Gan" Surname 44.4%
23andMe Users 37.6%
Habits
Visual Learner
Preferring to learn and process information through visual cues and images.
"Gan" Surname 45.5%
23andMe Users 15.6%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Gan" Surname 5.8%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Gan?
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 Gan are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition