Explore the Family Name Kwan

The meaning of Kwan

1. Chinese: Mandarin and Cantonese form of the surname 關, and also alternative Mandarin form of the surnames 管 and 官, see Guan 1–3. 2. Korean: variant of Kwŏn (see Kwon 1). Some characteristic forenames: Chinese Wing, Chun, Wai, Kin, Yuk, Chi, Kam, Man, Wah, Ming, Hong, Shui. Korean Chung, Pak, Yiu, Cho, Chun Ho, Hosang, Kum, Moon, Shiu, Sik, Toy, Woon.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Kwan in the United States?

According to data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname "Kwan" has seen a significant increase between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, "Kwan" was ranked 4147th in terms of commonality, with 7906 individuals carrying this surname. By 2010, it had risen to 3966th place and was borne by 8965 people, marking a growth of 4.36% in rank and 13.39% in count respectively. Consequently, the proportion of people named "Kwan" per 100,000 also increased from 2.93 to 3.04.

20002010Change
Rank#4,147#3,9664.36%
Count7,9068,96513.39%
Proportion per 100k2.933.043.75%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Kwan

The ethnicity distribution of the surname "Kwan," as reported by the Decennial U.S. Census, shows a dominance of Asian/Pacific Islander identity, though it has slightly decreased. In 2000, 93.65% of those carrying the surname identified as Asian/Pacific Islander, which decreased to 90.47% by 2010. At the same time, there has been a substantial increase in people who identify as White, from 2.39% in 2000 to 4.90% in 2010. The representation of Hispanics also grew modestly from 1.00% to 1.54%. Meanwhile, the percentage of individuals identifying with two or more races saw a slight rise. The presence of African Americans and American Indian/Alaskan Natives within the Kwan demographic is minimal but has emerged in 2010 where previously there was none.

20002010Change
Asian/Pacific Islander93.65%90.47%-3.4%
White2.39%4.9%105.02%
Two or More Races2.26%2.45%8.41%
Hispanic1%1.54%54%
Black0%0.55%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0.09%0%

Kwan 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 Kwan is Chinese, which comprises 67.9% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are Chinese Dai (9.9%) and Vietnamese (6.4%). Additional ancestries include British & Irish, Korean, French & German, Japanese, and Filipino & Austronesian.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
Chinese67.9%
Chinese Dai9.9%
Vietnamese6.4%
Other15.8%
Kwan

Possible origins of the surname Kwan

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 Kwan have recent ancestry locations all within China.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Guangdong, China86.50%
Zhejiang, China84.10%
Jiangsu, China84.10%
Shandong, China81.70%
Fujian, China81.20%

What Kwan 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 Kwan is O-F1399, which is predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Haplogroup O-F1399 is descended from haplogroup O-M1359. Other common haplogroups include O-M88 and O-M307.1, which are predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American and East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Quan, Guan, Fung, Leung, Ho, Lee, Xie, Phifer, Harsh, Delorenzo.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Kwan surname are: F1a1, D4, M7b. These most commonly trace back to individuals of East Asian & Indigenous American and European ancestry.

kwanPaternal Haplogroup Origins O-M1359
Paternal Haplo Image

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 ancient people of the Indian subcontinent

While Haplogroup M is widespread throughout South and East Asia, it is more diverse on the Indian sub-continent than anywhere else in the world. The high degree of diversity of M in India is likely tied to its ancient arrival here nearly 50,000 years ago. In addition to M2, which is found throughout the subcontinent, there are dozens of haplogroups branching off of M that exist in India. These branches are often connected to specific regions, tribes, or ethnic groups. For example, haplogroup M18 is found among the Oraon peoples of eastern India and Bangladesh, while haplogroup M41 is common among the Pardhan speakers of eastern India, and haplogroup M31a can be found on the Andaman Islands, just off the southeast coast of India.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Kwan 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

Kwan

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Kwan" Surname 44.0%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Kwan

Misophonia

When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.

"Kwan" Surname 28.6%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Kwan

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Kwan" Surname 19.0%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Kwan

Migraine

A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

"Kwan" Surname 9.8%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Kwan?

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 Kwan are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition

Late-Onset Alzheimer's Disease

ε4 variant

Alzheimer's disease is characterized by memory loss, cognitive decline, and personality changes. Late-onset Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of Alzheimer's disease, developing after age 65. Many factors, including genetics, can influence a person's chances of developing the condition. The 23andMe Health + Ancestry DNA test includes the most common genetic variant associated with late-onset Alzheimer's disease: the ε4 variant in the APOE gene. Learn more about Late-Onset Alzheimer's Disease

Chinese 18.2%

23andMe Users 25.5%