2000
#459
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 65,719
First available Census row
Per 100,000 24.36
Uncommon Last name
Chan
A common Chinese surname meaning "old" or "elderly," or referring to a hill or mound.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 93,379 Americans carry the last name Chan. That puts it at #384 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 27.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,671 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chan surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Chan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
93K
1 in 3,671
Census rank
#384
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
27.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
81K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 81,431 bearers of the surname Chan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 27.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 384th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chan
The surname Chan originated in China and has a long and storied history dating back centuries. It is believed to have derived from the Chinese character "陈," which can be translated to mean "old" or "ancient." The name was particularly prevalent in the southern regions of China, such as Guangdong and Fujian provinces.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Chan surname can be found in the Shiji, a historical record written by Sima Qian during the Han Dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD). The text mentions a prominent figure named Chan Ping, who served as a military general and played a crucial role in the conquest of the Baiyue tribes in southern China.
During the Tang Dynasty (618 – 907 AD), the Chan surname gained further prominence with the rise of Chan Buddhism, a school of Mahayana Buddhism that emphasized meditation and enlightenment. Several notable Chan Buddhist monks and philosophers, such as Chan Master Huineng (638 – 713 AD), played a significant role in the development and spread of this spiritual tradition.
In the Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644 AD), the Chan surname was closely associated with the Chan family of Nanhai County in Guangdong Province. This influential family produced several scholars, officials, and literary figures, including Chan Kao (1507 – 1587 AD), a renowned poet and calligrapher.
Throughout history, the Chan surname has been associated with various place names and older spellings. For instance, the city of Chancheng in Foshan, Guangdong, was once known as Chankeng, potentially derived from the Chan surname. Additionally, the Chan surname has been spelled differently in various Chinese dialects, such as Chen in Cantonese and Tran in Vietnamese.
Notable individuals with the Chan surname include:
1. Chan Bing (1909 – 1990), a Chinese martial artist and actor who gained fame in Hong Kong action films.
2. Chan Kuo-tsai (1905 – 1980), a renowned Taiwanese painter and calligrapher known for his innovative brushwork.
3. Chan Wing-tsit (1901 – 1994), a Chinese philosopher and scholar who made significant contributions to the study of Neo-Confucianism.
4. Chan Kwok-hung (1954 – present), a Hong Kong politician and social activist known as "Long Hair."
5. Chan Laiwa (1934 – 2018), a celebrated Hong Kong actress and singer who appeared in numerous Cantonese films and television series.
The Chan surname has a rich cultural heritage, spanning centuries of Chinese history and encompassing various disciplines, from military and philosophy to literature and the arts. Its enduring presence across generations and regions reflects the diverse and profound impact of this name on Chinese society.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chan
Among Census respondents with the surname Chan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Chan bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Chan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander87.9% · 71,567
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 3,916
- Two or more races3.5% · 2,838
- White3.0% · 2,465
- Black or African American0.7% · 592
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 53
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chan
Chan appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#425
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 76,664
+10,945 bearers (+16.7%)
Per 100,000 25.99
Rank movement Up 34 places
2020
#384
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 81,431
+4,767 bearers (+6.2%)
Per 100,000 27.24
Rank movement Up 41 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #459 | 65,719 | 24.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #425 | 76,664 | 25.99 | +10,945 bearers (+16.7%) | Up 34 places |
| 2020 | #384 | 81,431 | 27.24 | +4,767 bearers (+6.2%) | Up 41 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Chan surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #425 | #384 | 9.6% |
| Count | 76,664 | 81,431 | 6.2% |
| Per 100K | 25.99 | 27.24 | 4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chan bearers went from 76,664 to 81,431 (+6.2% change). The surname moved up 41 positions in the national ranking, going from #425 to #384.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Chan
FAQ
Chan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chan?
Name Census estimates that about 93,379 living Americans carry the surname Chan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,671 residents.
How common is Chan?
Chan ranks #384 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 27.24 per 100,000 residents, which is about 27 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 81,431 people with the surname Chan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (93,379), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 27.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 27.24 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 27 of them to have the surname Chan.
Has Chan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chan went from 76,664 recorded bearers to 81,431. That is an increase of 4,767 (+6.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #425 to #384.
What does the Census say about the background of Chan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Chan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.9% (71,567 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (87.9%), Hispanic (4.8%), Two or More Races (3.5%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Chan (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Chan mean?
A common Chinese surname meaning "old" or "elderly," or referring to a hill or mound. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Chan (27.24 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Chan?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.