Explore the Family Name Jian
The meaning of Jian
Chinese: 1. Mandarin form of the surname 簡, meaning ‘simple’ or ‘bamboo slips used for writing in ancient times’: (i) from the personal name of Jian Shifu (簡師父), an official during the Eastern Zhou dynasty (770–256 BC). (ii) from the personal name of Jian Shu (簡叔), an official in the state of Lu (located mainly in present-day Shandong province) during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC). (iii) from the personal name of Jian (簡), posthumous title of Hu Juju, also known as Xu Jianbo (續簡伯), a noble official in the state of Jin (located mainly in present-day Shanxi province) during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC). (iv) from the personal name of Jian Yong (簡雍), a person in the state of Shu (located mainly in present-day Sichuan province) during the Three Kingdoms period (220–280 AD), who changed his original surname (耿, Geng 2) to 簡 since these two surnames shared similar pronunciations in ancient Chinese. (v) from another surname, Jian (檢), meaning ‘procurator’ in ancient China. People changed their surname from Jian (檢) to Jian (簡) during the Western Han dynasty (206 BC–25 AD), probably in order to avoid persecution. 2. Mandarin form of the surname 菅, from the placename Jian (菅), the name of a fief (located in present-day Shandong province) in the state of Song during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC). 3. Mandarin form of the surname 翦, meaning ‘nascent feather’ in Chinese: surname traced back to a Uygur general in the Ming dynasty (1368–1662 AD) who was endowed with the surname Jian (翦) by the emperor Zhu Yuanzhang (1328–98 AD) and later resided in Taoyuan in Hunan province; also a surname from other minority ethnic groups in China. 4. Mandarin form of the surname 蹇, meaning ‘crippled’ in Chinese: (i) said to be traced back to Jian Xiu (蹇修), an official during the reign of Tai Hao, a legendary leader prior to the Xia dynasty (2070–1600 BC). (ii) from the personal name Jian Shu (蹇叔, c.690–610 BC), a famous politician in the state of Qin during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC).
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Jian in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname "Jian" has significantly increased between 2000 and 2010. Previously ranked at 42,217 in 2000, it rose to 29,822 by 2010, marking a jump of nearly 30 percent. The count, or number of individuals with the surname, also grew markedly from 484 in 2000 to 788 in 2010, an increase of over 60 percent. Consequently, the proportion of individuals with the surname per 100,000 people also rose by 50 percent.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #42,217 | #29,822 | 29.36% |
| Count | 484 | 788 | 62.81% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.18 | 0.27 | 50% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Jian
The ethnic identity associated with the surname "Jian" also saw shifts between 2000 and 2010, as per the Decennial U.S. Census data. The largest group, those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander, saw a slight increase from 89.05 percent to 91.5 percent. However, there were decreases among those identifying with two or more races (from 1.86 percent to 1.4 percent), Hispanic (from 1.45 percent to 0.63 percent), and Black (from 1.86 percent to 0.63 percent). Individuals who identified as White saw a negligible increase from 5.79 percent to 5.84 percent, while the percentage of American Indian and Alaskan Native remained constant at zero.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 89.05% | 91.5% | 2.75% |
| White | 5.79% | 5.84% | 0.86% |
| Two or More Races | 1.86% | 1.4% | -24.73% |
| Hispanic | 1.45% | 0.63% | -56.55% |
| Black | 1.86% | 0.63% | -66.13% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |