Explore the Family Name Tan
The meaning of Tan
1. Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 譚, meaning ‘magnificent’ in ancient Chinese: from Tan (譚), the name of an ancient state (located in present-day Shandong province). After the stated was annexed by the state of Qi in 684 BC, people kept the name of the state as their surname. 2. Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 覃, meaning ‘long’ or ‘extend’ in ancient Chinese: It is said that in some cases the surname evolved from a simplification of the surname 譚 (see 1 above). People with the surname 譚 changed it to 覃 in order to escape from persecution by their enemies. The surname also has another Mandarin pronunciation from a different origin, see Qin 3. 3. Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 談, meaning ‘talk’ in Chinese: (i) from the name of the state of Tan (談, also written 郯, located in present-day Shandong province). It was annexed by the state of Yue (or the state of Chu according to other historic records) in about 414 BC. After that, people adopted 談, the name of the state, as their surname.(iii) borne by descendants of Ji Tan (籍談), an official during the Western Zhou dynasty (1046–771 BC), who changed his original surname Ji to Tan. 4. Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 檀, meaning ‘blue sandalwood’ in Chinese, a kind of tree indigenous to China: (i) from Tan (檀), the name of an ancient state (located in Henan province) granted to Tan Boda (檀伯達), an official in the Western Zhou dynasty (1046–771 BC). (ii) from Tan (檀), the name of a fief (located in Shandong province) in the state of Qi during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC). 5. Chinese: alternative Mandarin form of the surnames 但 and 旦, see Dan 6 and 7. 6. Chinese: Teochew, Hokkien or Taiwanese form of the surname 陳, see Chen 1. It is also found in other Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia and Singapore. 7. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 鄧, see Deng. 8. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 唐, see Tang 2. 9. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 鄭, based on its Hokchew (Fuzhou) pronunciation, a Min dialect spoken in the provincial capital of Fujian province, see Zheng 1. 10. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 曾, see Zeng 1. 11. Vietnamese (Tân): from the Chinese surname 辛, see Xin 1. 12. Vietnamese (Tần): from the Chinese surname 秦, see Qin 1. 13. Cambodian: written តន់, from a Khmer word meaning ‘(to be) dear’. 14. Cambodian: written តាន់, probably of Chinese origin (compare above). The surname តាន់ also corresponds to the Khmer word meaning ‘(to be) solid’. 15. Korean: there are three Chinese characters for this surname; two of them are used by clans that now have only one surviving family each, according to a recent census. Some records indicate that there are 10 clans that use the third character for their surname, but only two can be documented: the Kangŭm clan and the Yŏnan clan. Neither of these clans is very large. 16. Turkish: ornamental name or nickname from tan ‘daybreak, twilight’. 17. English: variant of Tann. Some characteristic forenames: Chinese Jian, Ming, Hong, Wei, Jin, Eng, Li, Lian, Seng, Chin, Heng, Mei. Spanish Jose, Manuel, Carlos, Luis, Cristina, Ricardo, Teresita, Armando, Elena, Mario, Reynaldo, Alfredo.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Tan in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Tan has seen a rise in popularity between 2000 and 2010. The rank of the surname Tan improved from 1530 to 1090, an increase of 28.76 percent. The count of individuals with this surname also rose significantly by almost half (48.93 percent), from 21,567 in 2000 up to 32,120 in 2010. This rise led to an increased proportion of the name Tan per 100k people by 36.3 percent.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,530 | #1,090 | 28.76% |
| Count | 21,567 | 32,120 | 48.93% |
| Proportion per 100k | 7.99 | 10.89 | 36.3% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Tan
Regarding the ethnic identity associated with the surname Tan, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows that the majority of individuals with this surname identify as Asian or Pacific Islander. In 2000, this was the case for 91.30 percent of Tans, and this figure slightly increased to 92.37 percent in 2010. There were slight decreases in those identifying as two or more races, white, black, and American Indian and Alaskan Native. Meanwhile, there was a small increase in those identifying as Hispanic from 1.15 percent in 2000 to 1.42 percent in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 91.3% | 92.37% | 1.17% |
| White | 3.93% | 3.3% | -16.03% |
| Two or More Races | 3.22% | 2.62% | -18.63% |
| Hispanic | 1.15% | 1.42% | 23.48% |
| Black | 0.26% | 0.19% | -26.92% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.14% | 0.11% | -21.43% |
Tan 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 Tan is Chinese, which comprises 73.2% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are Filipino & Austronesian (8.6%) and Indonesian, Thai, Khmer & Myanma (3.0%). Additional ancestries include British & Irish, Vietnamese, Chinese Dai, French & German, and Korean.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| Chinese | 73.2% |
| Filipino & Austronesian | 8.6% |
| Indonesian, Thai, Khmer & Myanma | 3.0% |
| Other | 15.2% |
Possible origins of the surname Tan
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 Tan have recent ancestry locations in China and Taiwan.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Guangdong, China | 77.20% |
| Fujian, China | 77.00% |
| Zhejiang, China | 75.30% |
| Shanghai, China | 75.00% |
| Jiangsu, China | 74.50% |
What Tan 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 Tan 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-F46 and O-CTS2498, which are predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American and East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Chen, Wu, Cheng, Huang, Wang, Li, Lu, Chan, Zhang, Chang.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Tan surname are: F1a1, F2, M7b. These most commonly trace back to individuals of East Asian & Indigenous American 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 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.
What do people with the surname Tan 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.
"Tan" Surname 38.1%
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.
"Tan" Surname 18.9%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Tan" Surname 16.6%
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.
"Tan" Surname 8.6%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Tan?
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 Tan are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition