Explore the Family Name Zan
The meaning of Zan
1. Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 昝: (i) a surname originating in ancient southwestern China. (ii) adopted as a surname by the Zan Lu (昝盧) or Chi Lu (叱盧) families from the Xianbei ethnic group in northern China during the Northern Wei dynasty (386–534 AD). (iii) said to be adopted in place of the surname Jiu (咎, meaning ‘disaster’ in Chinese), possibly because the meaning of the original surname Jiu was thought to be inauspicious. 2. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 曾, see Zeng. 3. Italian (Veneto): from the personal name Zan, an old dialect equivalent of John (compare the Slovenian name below). See also Zanni. 4. Slovenian (Žan): from a Slovenized form of the Friulian personal name Zan, an old equivalent of John (compare Italian name above). 5. Slovak (Záň, also Zán) and Czech (Záň): possibly of Italian origin (see above).
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Zan in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Zan has significantly increased between the years 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Zan ranked 80,812 as a popular surname, while in 2010 it jumped to 52,851, making a notable rise of 34.6%. The count of individuals with this surname also saw a substantial increase from 218 to 392 over the same period, marking a growth rate of nearly 80%. Similarly, the proportion of people named Zan per 100,000 population grew by 62.5%, moving from 0.08 to 0.13.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #80,812 | #52,851 | 34.6% |
| Count | 218 | 392 | 79.82% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.08 | 0.13 | 62.5% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Zan
When looking at the ethnic identity of those with the Zan surname, findings from the Decennial U.S. Census show considerable shifts from 2000 to 2010. The percentage of people identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander dramatically increased from 26.15% to 46.94%, showing almost an 80% growth. There was also a small but notable emergence of people with the surname identifying with two or more races, going from 0 to 2.55%. On the other hand, there was a decrease of 34.48% in the White population with the Zan surname, moving from 66.97% in 2000 to 43.88% in 2010. The Hispanic segment slightly rose from 4.59% to 5.36%. There were no recorded changes for Black individuals or American Indian and Alaskan Native populations within the Zan surname group.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 26.15% | 46.94% | 79.5% |
| White | 66.97% | 43.88% | -34.48% |
| Hispanic | 4.59% | 5.36% | 16.78% |
| Two or More Races | 0% | 2.55% | 0% |
| Black | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |