Explore the Family Name Pan
The meaning of Pan
1. Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 潘, meaning ‘rice water’ in ancient Chinese: (i) from the placename Pan (潘), a fief (located in present-day northwestern Shangqiu in Henan province) that was granted to Ji Sun, son of Bi Gong Gao (Duke of Bi, the 15th son of King Wen of Zhou, 1152–1056 BC). (ii) borne by descendants of Pan Chong (潘崇), a noble in the state of Chu during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC). (iii) adopted as a surname by the Po Duo Luo (破多罗) family from the Xianbei ethnic group in northern China during the Northern Wei dynasty (386–534 AD). (iv) adopted as a surname by Pan Shao (潘紹), who changed his original surname Zhao to Pan during the Yuan dynasty (1206–1368 AD). 2. Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 盤, denoting ‘washbasin’ or ‘plate’ in ancient Chinese: said to be borne by descendants of Pan Hu (盤瓠), an ancient legendary figure. They were originally scattered around the present-day southern Sichuan province and later migrated to Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Guangdong province. 3. Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 泮, meaning ‘side’ or ‘waterside’ in Chinese: possibly derived from a placename (said to be name of a place in the state of Wey (衛) during the Spring and Autumn period, 770–476 BC). 4. Chinese: Cantonese and alternative Mandarin form of the surname 班, see Ban 6. 5. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 彭, see Peng 1. 6. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 范, see Fan 1. 7. Chinese: Cantonese form of the surname 賓, see Bin 1. 8. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 馮, possibly based on its Hokkien or Teochew pronunciation, see Feng 1. 9. Korean: there are two Chinese characters for this surname; only one of them, however, is common enough to warrant treatment here. There are three clans which use this character: the Kisŏng (also called the Kŏje), the Kwangju, and the Namp’yŏng. The founding ancestors of these clans were Koryŏ (918–1392) figures, and it is widely believed that they were related. Compare Ban 9. 10. Amerindian (Guatemala and Mexico): Mayan name, from pan ‘flag, banner’. 11. Spanish: metonymic occupational name for a baker or a pantryman, from pan ‘bread’ (from Latin panis). 12. English and Dutch: metonymic occupational name for someone who cast or sold pans, from Middle English, Middle Dutch panne ‘pan’. 13. Ukrainian, Rusyn, Sorbian, and Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic); Czech and Slovak (Pán): from Ukrainian, Sorbian, and Yiddish pan, Czech and Slovak pán ‘lord, master, landowner’, hence a nickname for a haughty person. The Sorbian surname is found mainly in a Germanized form, Pahn. 14. Ukrainian and Rusyn: from a short form of the personal name Panteleymon (Greek Panteleēmōn; see Pantaleo) and also of some other names beginning with Pa(n)-. Some characteristic forenames: Chinese Wei, Ying, Yong, Tao, Hong, Hui, Ming, Dong, Jing, Ning, Rong, Chen.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Pan in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Pan has seen a significant rise in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked 4004 in terms of commonality, but by 2010, it had climbed to rank 2847 - an increase of approximately 28.9%. The count of individuals bearing this surname also grew remarkably from 8143 to 12664, marking a 55.52% jump. Consequently, the proportion of people with the surname Pan per 100,000 individuals surged by 42.05%, rising from 3.02 to 4.29.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #4,004 | #2,847 | 28.9% |
| Count | 8,143 | 12,664 | 55.52% |
| Proportion per 100k | 3.02 | 4.29 | 42.05% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Pan
In terms of ethnicity distribution, the Pan surname is predominantly associated with the Asian/Pacific Islander identity, according to the Decennial U.S. Census data. From 2000 to 2010, there was a slight increase in this association, up by 2.41% from 91.81% to 94.02%. During the same period, however, the link between the Pan surname and other ethnic identities saw a decrease. The correlation with white ethnicity fell by 34.75%, from 4.00% to 2.61%. Similarly, associations with Hispanic, Black, and American Indian and Alaskan Native identities also declined, dropping 22.29%, 24.59%, and 30.00% respectively. The identification of Pan with two or more races also experienced a decline, reducing by 14.21% from 1.90% to 1.63%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 91.81% | 94.02% | 2.41% |
| White | 4% | 2.61% | -34.75% |
| Two or More Races | 1.9% | 1.63% | -14.21% |
| Hispanic | 1.57% | 1.22% | -22.29% |
| Black | 0.61% | 0.46% | -24.59% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.1% | 0.07% | -30% |
Pan 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 Pan is Chinese, which comprises 81.3% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are Chinese Dai (2.5%) and Korean (2.2%). Additional ancestries include French & German, British & Irish, Vietnamese, Manchurian & Mongolian, and Indonesian, Thai, Khmer & Myanma.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| Chinese | 81.3% |
| Chinese Dai | 2.5% |
| Korean | 2.2% |
| Other | 14.0% |
Possible origins of the surname Pan
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 Pan have recent ancestry locations in China and Taiwan.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Guangdong, China | 41.20% |
| Zhejiang, China | 41.00% |
| Shanghai, China | 41.00% |
| Shandong, China | 40.70% |
| Jiangsu, China | 40.50% |
What Pan 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 Pan is O-F8, which is predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Haplogroup O-F8 is descended from haplogroup O-M1359. Other common haplogroups include O-CTS2498 and O-F46, which are predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American and East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Tang, Huang, Lu, Wu, Xu, Chen, Zhu, Cheng, Chou, Cheung.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Pan surname are: A4, F2, M7b. 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 Han Chinese
Haplogroup O-Page23 has been found in several populations of the Han Chinese ethnic group. The ancestors of the Han, called the Huaxia, lived in the upriver basin of the Yellow River 5,000-6,000 years ago. As agricultural technology improved, the Huaxia spread east and south, and became the Han Chinese. Over the last 2,000 years, there have been three major migrations of the Han southward. The first of these migrations occurred during the Jin Dynasty from 317 to 420 CE, when nearly one million people moved south. A second migration occurred during the Tang Dynasty, after the An-Shi Rebellion, between 755 and 762 CE. The last migration occurred during the Southern Song Dynasty, from 1127 to 1297 CE, when nearly 5 million people migrated southward. The Pinghua, a branch of Han in which haplogroup O2a2b1a1 is particularly common, may be descendants of indigenous minority groups that adopted Han culture during one such major migration event.
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 Pan 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.
"Pan" Surname 32.2%
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.
"Pan" Surname 23.9%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Pan" Surname 20.0%
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.
"Pan" Surname 6.2%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Pan?
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 Pan are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition