Tan

Meaning & origin●

Attested across 7 languages in the etymology graph.

Languages●

Language is read off each record's context, not declared by the bearer; a share is of all records for this spelling.

Other names spelled this way◐

Tan is also recorded as 8 other names, grouped separately because the records behind them do not connect to the one described above.

• Malay surname921K records spelled Tan15 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, United States

  Languages: Malay, Indonesian

  Also written Tan', Ta࿆n࿆, Ťăñ, Tân, Tàn

• Vietnamese given name389K records spelled Tan96 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Vietnam, United States, Malaysia, Singapore

  Also written Tấn, Tân, Đàm, Jin, Tần

• Chinese surname181K records spelled Tan9 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Malaysia, United States, China, Singapore

  Also written Tån, Tân, Tàn, Tần, T'An

• Spanish surname171K records spelled Tan47 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Philippines, United States, Malaysia, Singapore

  Languages: Spanish, Portuguese, Italian

  Also written Tañ, Tân, Tấn, Tän, Tán

• Turkish surname159K records spelled Tan19 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Türkiye, United States, Philippines, Malaysia

  Languages: Turkish, Azerbaijani

  Also written Täñ, Tän, Thann, Tán, Tâñ

• a separate surname92K records spelled Tan53 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, Netherlands, Malaysia, China

  Also written Tấn, Tân, Tåñ, ̩̠̘͡ţ̭̳̲̗̹à̡͖͔̀͠n̵̘̤͚̭̼͘, Tá̂n

• French surname42K records spelled Tan21 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in France, Singapore, Philippines, Malaysia

  Languages: French, Catalan

  Also written Tân, Tấn, Qod, Tần, Ťäņ

• a separate surname40K records spelled Tan17 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, China, Singapore, India

  Also written T'An, Tán, Tản, Tà̂n, Tâń

90 further groups record this spelling and are not listed here.

Grouping is the name graph's, not a register's: two spellings join a group when the evidence links them, so a group is a claim about the records rather than about the people.

Other recorded senses●

Tan is also recorded in 5 other lexicons, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.

• In English, A light, brown-like colour.

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

• In Turkish, dawn, twilight

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

• In Turkish, 1. Güneş doğmadan önceki alaca karanlık, şafak vakti. 2. Sabah akşam esen serin rüzgâr.

  as a word·TDK Kişi Adları Sözlüğü (official Turkish given-name dictionary)

• In Akan, V, [red. tentah] to leave a void or distance between; nnna 2 no ntam* tan or tentan, there is a distance between the two trees; = pin, pompan. — tan-mil, aloof, tana, t6na, s, tra, v

  as a word·Dictionary of the Asante and Fante Language called Tshi (Chwee, Twi)

• In sit-pro, bar, beam

  as a word·StarLing Tower of Babel etymological databases (Starostin et al.)

Ordered by how much of this spelling's record each language holds, so a sense from a language the name is barely used in sits last rather than first.

Over time●

US SSA — National Baby Names (1880–present) — 39 years between 1976–2019. One register's own figures, never a sum across registers: two registers counting the same people would double them.

Notable people with this name●

• Pridi Banomyongb. 1900THnot in their usual nameThai prime minister (1900-1983)
• Margaret Chanb. 1947CNnot in their usual nameChinese-Canadian physician (born 1947)
• Chen Shui-bianb. 1950TWnot in their usual name10th and 11th President of Republic of China(Taiwan) (2000–2008)
• Amy Tanb. 1952USAmerican novelist
• Jackie Chanb. 1954CNnot in their usual nameHong Kong actor and martial artist (born 1954)
• Joan Chenb. 1961CNnot in their usual nameChinese-American actress and director
• Steve Chenb. 1978TWnot in their usual nameChinese-American businessman
• Vanessa-Maeb. 1978SGnot in their usual nameBritish violinist
• Edison Chenb. 1980CAnot in their usual nameHong Kong singer, actor, and fashion designer
• Priscilla Chanb. 1985USnot in their usual nameAmerican pediatrician and philanthropist

The ten people covered by the most Wikipedia language editions — a proxy for cross-cultural notability, which favours historical and Western figures over equally prominent contemporary ones — shown by birth year. Source: Wikidata (CC0).

Evidence●

Register rows as of the 2026-09-12 data build · 371 rows in the corpus for this spelling.

Frequently asked questions

How common is the name Tan?

We estimate roughly 36 thousand people bear Tan (counting its spellings and scripts) across 16 countries in our records.

In which country does Tan have the most bearers?

Tan is most frequently recorded in the Philippines, where it is most often spelled tan.

How common is Tan compared with other names?

In the Philippines, Tan is the 43rd most common surname of 986,934 surnames recorded there.

What does the name Tan mean?

Recorded meaning: a Chinese Indonesian surname from Hokkien.