Explore the Family Name Than
The meaning of Than
1. Burmese: from a personal name usually forming part of a compound name, from than ‘million’. — Note: Since Burmese do not have hereditary surnames, this name was registered as such only after immigration of its bearers to the US. 2. Vietnamese (Thân): from the Chinese surname 申, see Shen 2. 3. Cambodian: written ថន, unexplained. 4. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 陳, based on its Teochew, Hokkien or Taiwanese pronunciation, see Chen 1. 5. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surnames 譚 and 覃, based on their Mandarin pronunciation, see Tan 1 and 2. Some characteristic forenames: Vietnamese Thanh, Hung, Than, Anh, Ha, Hao, Hoa, Lien, Thu, Thuan, Tran, Tuan. Chinese Eung, Hong, Khin, Kyaw, Nou, Sang, Tao.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Than in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname "Than" has seen a significant increase in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it ranked 18,008 in popularity, but by 2010 it had risen to rank 14,930, demonstrating a change of roughly 17.09%. The count of individuals with this surname also increased from 1,429 in 2000 to 1,983 in 2010, a 38.77% change. Furthermore, the proportion per 100,000 also saw an increase of 26.42%, moving from 0.53 to 0.67 over the decade.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #18,008 | #14,930 | 17.09% |
| Count | 1,429 | 1,983 | 38.77% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.53 | 0.67 | 26.42% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Than
Regarding ethnic identity, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows that the majority of people with the surname "Than" identify as Asian/Pacific Islander. This group increased from constituting 89.22% in 2000 to 93.90% in 2010, a change of approximately 5.25%. Those identifying with two or more races dropped significantly by 64.63%, from 4.41% in 2000 to just 1.56% in 2010. There was a slight decrease in those identifying as White, from 5.25% in 2000 to 2.87% in 2010, while those identifying as Hispanic increased from 0.63% to 1.16%. Interestingly, Black representation within the Than surname appeared for the first time in 2010 at 0.50%, whereas there was no change among those identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 89.22% | 93.9% | 5.25% |
| White | 5.25% | 2.87% | -45.33% |
| Two or More Races | 4.41% | 1.56% | -64.63% |
| Hispanic | 0.63% | 1.16% | 84.13% |
| Black | 0% | 0.5% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |