Explore the Family Name Han
The meaning of Han
1. Chinese: Mandarin pronunciation of the surname 韓: (i) it is said that the surname is borne by descendants of Han Liu (韓流), a grandson of the legendary Huang Di, the ‘Yellow Emperor’ (c.27th century bc). (ii) shortened form of Han Yuan (韓原), the name of a fief (possibly present-day Hejin in Shanxi province or Hancheng in Shaanxi province) granted to Bi Wan, also known as Han Wan (韓萬) or Han Wuzi (韓武子), a politician in the state of Jin during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC). His descendants inherited the name of the fief as their surname. (iii) from Han (韓), the name of a state during the Warring States period (475–221 BC). The state was established in 403 BC and annexed by the state of Qin in 230 BC. Descendants of nobles from this state inherited it as their surname. (iv) From the Chu Da Han (出大汗) family of the Xianbei ethnic group in northern China, who adopted the surname Han (韓) during the Northern Wei Dynasty (386–534 AD). 2. Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 寒, meaning ‘cold’ in Chinese: (i) said to be traced back to Han Ai (寒哀), the name of an official during the reign of the legendary emperor Huang Di, the ‘Yellow Emperor’ (c.27th century bc). (ii) from Han (寒), the name of an ancient state (located in Shandong province) during the Xia dynasty (2070–1600 BC). (iii) adopted in place of the homophonous Chinese surname Han (韓) by some people, who changed their original surname Han (韓) to Han (寒) in order to avoid feud. 3. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 杭, see Hang 1. 4. Korean: written 한, in Chinese characters 韓. There are actually two Chinese characters for the surname Han. However, one of these characters, meaning ‘China’, is very rare (only two households with this surname appeared in a recent census), so only the other will be considered here. Some records indicate that there are 131 clans of the Han family, but only one—the Han family of Ch’ŏngju, can be documented. Some sources name Han Ran as the founding ancestor of the Han family. Han Ran is recognized as one of the men who assisted the first Koryŏ king, Wang Kŏn, in setting up the Koryŏ kingdom in 918. More recent scholarship, however, postulates that the Ch’ŏngju Han clan’s founding ancestor was U-P’yŏng, one of three sons of the fortieth generation descendant of Kija, the founder of the ancient Chosŏn kingdom (died 194 BC). The other two sons, U-sŏng and U-Kyŏng, founded the Ki clan and the Sŏngan clans, respectively. Compare Hahn 5. 5. Vietnamese (Hàn): from the Chinese surname 韓, see 1 above. 6. Vietnamese (Hán): written 汉 in Chinese, of unexplained etymology. 7. Burmese: from a personal name usually forming part of a compound name, from han ‘appearance’. — Note: Since Burmese do not have hereditary surnames, this name was registered as such only after immigration of its bearers to the US. 8. Turkish: ornamental name or nickname from the title han ‘sovereign, khan’ (see Khan). 9. Dutch: from a short form of the personal name Johan(nes) (see John). 10. French (Lorraine): probably a cognate of Dutch name in 9 above. 11. Czech and Slovak (Hán): from a short form of the German personal name Johann(es) (see John). 12. Jewish: variant of Hahn. Some characteristic forenames: Chinese Sang, Young, Sung, Yong, Kwang, Seung, Kyung, Dong, Jin, Jung, Myung, Song. Korean Chong, Chang, Min, Myong, Byung, Chung, Moon, Chul, Hae, In Suk, Jeong, Kyung Soo.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Han in the United States?
According to the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname "Han" has significantly increased between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Han was ranked as the 1617th most popular surname in the United States, with a count of 20,318 individuals bearing it. By 2010, the rank had improved to 1182nd, reflecting a 26.9% increase in popularity. The total count of people with this surname also grew by approximately 46.9%, reaching 29,847 individuals. This change resulted in an increase from 7.53 to 10.12 per 100,000 in the proportion of US residents with this surname, indicating a 34.4% rise.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,617 | #1,182 | 26.9% |
| Count | 20,318 | 29,847 | 46.9% |
| Proportion per 100k | 7.53 | 10.12 | 34.4% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Han
Diving into the ethnic identity associated with the Han surname, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows that it is predominantly associated with those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander. Between 2000 and 2010, this group increased its representation among individuals with the Han surname from 90.59% to 92.67%. Conversely, the proportions of Han surnamed individuals who identified as White or Hispanic fell by 26.77% and 11.83% respectively, while the percentage identifying with two or more races decreased by 20.56%. The Black community maintained a stable 0.50% representation among Han surnames across both years. Lastly, there was a slight increase (16.67%) in the proportion of Han surnamed individuals who identified as American Indian and Alaskan Native, though they represent only a small fraction of the overall count.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 90.59% | 92.67% | 2.3% |
| White | 5.79% | 4.24% | -26.77% |
| Two or More Races | 2.14% | 1.7% | -20.56% |
| Hispanic | 0.93% | 0.82% | -11.83% |
| Black | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.06% | 0.07% | 16.67% |
Han 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 Han is Korean, which comprises 43.8% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are Chinese (41.4%) and British & Irish (3.1%). Additional ancestries include Vietnamese, Manchurian & Mongolian, French & German, Eastern European, and Indonesian, Thai, Khmer & Myanma.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| Korean | 43.8% |
| Chinese | 41.4% |
| British & Irish | 3.1% |
| Other | 11.7% |
Possible origins of the surname Han
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 Han have recent ancestry locations in South Korea and China.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Seoul, South Korea | 43.10% |
| Busan, South Korea | 27.50% |
| Daegu, South Korea | 21.70% |
| Jeollabuk Do, South Korea | 20.90% |
| Gyeongsangnam Do, South Korea | 20.60% |
What Han 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 Han is O-F1204, which is predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Haplogroup O-F1204 is descended from haplogroup O-M1359. Other common haplogroups include O-F46 and O-F11, which are predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American and East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Chang, Chung, Sun, Kim, Wang, Yang, Kang, Li, Jin, Zhang.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Han surname are: A4, F2, 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 Yayoi
Haplogroup O1b2a, a branch of haplogroup O, is closely related to several haplogroups that are commonly found in Japan. Haplogroup O is closely associated with Kyushu, Japan's third largest island, and makes up over half of all men in Japan. Although haplogroup O is prevalent in Japan, it likely only entered Japan during the Yayoi expansion about 2,300 years ago. During the Yayoi expansion, people entering from the Korean Peninsula brought wet rice agriculture, weaving technology, and metalworking technology to Japan. The Yayoi expansion began on the island of Kyushu, where haplogroup O is very common today. It is possible that some of the early members of O1-F3356 were involved in this major shift, which quickly and dramatically altered Japanese culture.
Your maternal lineage may be linked to the builders of the Terracotta Army
Qin Shi Huang, who unified warring states to become the First Emperor of China and founded the Qin Dynasty, ruled the Chinese state of Qin from 247 BC to 210 BC. In addition to his political feats, his reign is known for the massive construction projects, including his mausoleum in the Shaanxi province of central China, which began construction in 246 BC. To aid him in the afterlife, 8,000 perfectly life-like soldiers were crafted out of molds and clay and placed at guard over his tomb: his own Terracotta Army.An estimated 700,000 workers were involved in the mausoleum construction alone, and in 2003, hundreds of skeletal remains were unearthed near the mausoleum. Curious about the ethnic origins of these men, a group of Chinese scientists decided to examine their maternal haplogroups. They found that some of these workers belonged to haplogroup A, and that the group had come from a variety of places across East Asia.
What do people with the surname Han 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.
"Han" Surname 29.3%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Han" Surname 23.8%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Han" Surname 17.6%
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.
"Han" Surname 8.2%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Han?
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 Han are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition