Explore the Family Name Lan
The meaning of Lan
1. Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 藍, meaning ‘blue’ in Chinese: (i) from the first element of the placename Lan Tian (藍田), the name of a fief (located in present-day Shaanxi province) granted to a noble from the state of Qin during the Warring States period (475–221 BC). (ii) from the placename Lan (藍), the name of a fief (located in Hubei province) granted to a noble in the state of Chu during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC). 2. Chinese: Mandarin or Cantonese form of the surname 蘭, meaning ‘orchid’ in Chinese: (i) from the personal name Lan (蘭), which was the personal name of Duke Mu of Zheng (ruler of the state of Zheng, 648–606 BC). (ii) adopted as a surname by the Wu Luo Lan (烏落蘭) family from the Xianbei ethnic group in northern China during the Northern Wei dynasty (386–534 AD). (iii) traced back to a family from South Huns (48–216 AD, located in northern China). 3. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 林, see Lin 1. 4. Polish (Łan): perhaps from the vocabulary word łan ‘plowland, soil’. 5. Polish (Łań): alternatively, perhaps a nickname from a derivative of łania ‘hind, doe’. 6. Vietnamese (Lận): from the Chinese surname 藺, see Lin 2. Some characteristic forenames: Chinese Feng, Hongjie, Jianqing, Jin, Wei, Xiao, Chan, Chi, Chi Keung, Chieh, Chung-Wen, Dong. Vietnamese Bui, Buu, Dung, Duong, Ha, Hao, Hoa, Hung, Lan, Mai, Nguyen, Nho.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Lan in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Lan has observed a rise in popularity from the year 2000 to 2010. In the year 2000, Lan was ranked 12,563 but by 2010 it had jumped to 9,910 - an increase of 21.12%. The count of individuals with this surname also saw a substantial increase of 44.21%, growing from 2,262 in 2000 to 3,262 in 2010. Additionally, the proportion of individuals named Lan per 100k people increased by 32.14%, from 0.84 in 2000 to 1.11 in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #12,563 | #9,910 | 21.12% |
| Count | 2,262 | 3,262 | 44.21% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.84 | 1.11 | 32.14% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Lan
In terms of ethnicity, data from the Decennial U.S. Census shows that the majority of individuals with the surname Lan identify as Asian/Pacific Islander. This group made up 76.92% of those with the surname in 2000 and slightly increased to 77.25% in 2010. Individuals identifying as White represented 15.08% in 2000 and decreased to 14.56% in 2010. There was also a noticeable increase in individuals identifying as Hispanic, from 3.01% in 2000 to 3.59% in 2010. In 2010, 2.36% of individuals identified as belonging to two or more races, a category not represented in the 2000 data. Black representation went down to zero in 2010 from 2.79% in 2000 while the American Indian and Alaskan Native category remained at zero for both years.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 76.92% | 77.25% | 0.43% |
| White | 15.08% | 14.56% | -3.45% |
| Hispanic | 3.01% | 3.59% | 19.27% |
| Two or More Races | 0% | 2.36% | 0% |
| Black | 2.79% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Lan 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 Lan is Chinese, which comprises 78.5% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (3.1%) and Ashkenazi Jewish (2.8%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Korean, Manchurian & Mongolian, Vietnamese, and Spanish & Portuguese.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| Chinese | 78.5% |
| British & Irish | 3.1% |
| Ashkenazi Jewish | 2.8% |
| Other | 15.6% |
Possible origins of the surname Lan
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 Lan have recent ancestry locations in China and Taiwan.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Guangdong, China | 45.10% |
| Fujian, China | 43.40% |
| Shanghai, China | 43.40% |
| Shandong, China | 43.40% |
| Jiangsu, China | 43.40% |
What Lan 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 Lan 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 Lan surname are: B4, 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 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 Lan 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.
"Lan" Surname 32.1%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Cheek Dimples
Small indentations that appear on the cheeks when a person smiles.
"Lan" Surname 68.8%
23andMe Users 37.6%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Lan?
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 Lan are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition