Explore the Family Name Lian
The meaning of Lian
1. Norwegian: habitational name from any of numerous farmsteads in Trøndelag, named with the definite plural form of Li 11. 2. Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 連, meaning ‘link, connect’ in Chinese: (i) from the first element of the personal name Lian Cheng (連稱), an official in the state of Qi (located in present-day Shandong province) during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC). (ii) from the second element of the personal name Hui Lian (惠連), the third son of Lu Zhong, a descendant of the legendary Huang Di, the ‘Yellow Emperor’ (c.27th century bc). (iii) from the first element of Lian Yin (連尹) and Lian Ao (連敖), names of two official posts in the state of Chu during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC). (iv) traced back to the Lian (連) family, members of the Xianbei ethnic group in northern China; possibly a shortened form of the Xianbei surname He Lian (赫連). It was also adopted as a surname during the Northern Wei dynasty (386–534 AD) by two other Xianbei families, Shi Lian (是連) and Tai Lian (太連). 3. Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 練, meaning ‘white silk’ or ‘skilled’ in ancient Chinese: (i) from the first element of the placename Lian Xiang (練鄉), the name of a fief (located in present-day Fujian province) in the state of Min, a small state during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms (907–60 AD). (ii) from the personal name of Lian Xiang (練何), who was a general with the original surname Dong (東) during the Tang dynasty (618–907 AD) but later endowed with the surname Lian (練) (meaning ‘skilful, experienced’) because he was highly skilled in military training. 4. Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 廉, which meant (among other things) ‘inspecting or investigating’ in ancient Chinese: (i) from the second element of the personal name Da Lian (大廉), style name of the great-grandson of the legendary king Zhuanxu (traditional dates: 2514–2437 BC). (ii) adopted as a surname by Lian Xi Xian (廉希憲) because his father, Bu Lu Hai Ya, a Uygur, had been appointed to an official post called Lian Shi (廉使) during the Yuan dynasty (1271–1368 AD). One of the ancient meanings of Lian (廉) is ‘inspecting or investigating’; inspectors with this title were charged with examining the social order and maintaining stability; also investigating charges of corruption against local government officials. 5. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 梁, see Liang 1. 6. Burmese (Chin): from a part of a male compound personal name, from lian ‘(to become) great’. — Note: Since Chins do not have hereditary surnames, this name element was registered as such only after immigration of its bearers to the US. Some characteristic forenames: Scandinavian Bernt, Bjorn, Lars, Olaf. Chinese Teck, Li, Ming, Bin, Cheng, Chun, Dong, Eng, Guohua, Hui-Ming, Jeng, Jian Ping.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Lian in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Lian has significantly grown in popularity in the United States over the past decade. In 2000, it was ranked 20,427 in terms of commonness, but by 2010 it had jumped to a rank of 10,678, marking a considerable increase of nearly 48 percent. The number of individuals with the last name Lian also grew from 1,209 in 2000 to 2,995 in 2010, an impressive growth rate of roughly 148 percent. The proportion of this surname per 100k people has likewise increased by approximately 127 percent over the same period.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #20,427 | #10,678 | 47.73% |
| Count | 1,209 | 2,995 | 147.73% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.45 | 1.02 | 126.67% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Lian
In relation to ethnicity, according to data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the majority of people with the surname Lian identify as Asian or Pacific Islander. This group saw an increase from 56.58 percent in 2000 to 80.37 percent in 2010, a change of over 42 percent. Those identifying as white decreased from 37.22 percent to 15.09 percent, while those identifying as Hispanic dropped from 3.89 percent to 2.30 percent within the same time frame. The percentage of individuals with the Lian surname identifying as two or more races slightly increased from 1.32 percent to 1.74 percent. Data for those identifying as Black and American Indian or Alaskan Native was suppressed for privacy in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 56.58% | 80.37% | 42.05% |
| White | 37.22% | 15.09% | -59.46% |
| Hispanic | 3.89% | 2.3% | -40.87% |
| Two or More Races | 1.32% | 1.74% | 31.82% |
| Black | 0.5% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.5% | 0% | 0% |