Zan

Meaning & origin●

Attested across 27 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◐

Zan is also recorded as 6 other names, grouped separately because the records behind them do not connect to the one described above.

• Hindi given name19K records spelled Zan7 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in India, Pakistan, United States, Malaysia

  Languages: Hindi, Urdu

  Also written Žan, Zañ, Žăñ, Zàn

• Hungarian given name15K records spelled Zan6 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Slovenia, Hungary, United States

  Also written Zán, Žan, Źąñ, Zañ, Záň

• Spanish given name15K records spelled Zan16 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Brazil, Argentina, United States, Spain

  Languages: Spanish, Portuguese

  Also written Žan, Zañ, Zán, Zãn, Zàn

• Turkish given name9.2K records spelled Zan10 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, Slovenia, Türkiye, Malaysia

  Also written Žan, Zàn, Zán, Zân, Zäñ

• Malay given name4.0K records spelled Zan7 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Malaysia, Indonesia, United States, Singapore

  Languages: Malay, Indonesian

  Also written Žan, Zàn, Žãn, Zán, Zân

• Ukrainian surname3.2K records spelled Zan38 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Ukraine, Russia, Poland, Kazakhstan

  Languages: Ukrainian, Russian, Polish

  Also written Зан, Цан, Зань, Zań, Zahn

53 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●

Zan 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 Italian, redução popular de Zane, Zanni; típica do norte italiano

  as a name·Dicionário dos sobrenomes italianos

• In English, lang., people, Caucasus

  as a name·Pronouncing Dictionary of Proper Names

• In English, lang., people, Africa

  as a name·Pronouncing Dictionary of Proper Names

• In English, Zande [Azande]

  as a name·Pronouncing Dictionary of Proper Names

• In Italian, Variante di Zanni

  as a name·Dizionario dei cognomi italiani

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●

IN naampy — India given names from state electoral rolls (in-rolls) — 87 years between 1906–2015. One register's own figures, never a sum across registers: two registers counting the same people would double them.

Notable people with this name●

• Liu Zanb. 250son of Liu Chan
• Fan Zhenb. 1007CNnot in their usual nameSong dynasty person CBDB=3279
• Ni Zanb. 1301CNChinese painter (1301-1374)
• Zan Stewartb. 1944USAmerican musician and critic
• Siuyea Lob. 1986GBnot in their usual nameHong Kong actor
• Wang Zhenb. 1991CNnot in their usual nameChinese racewalker
• Gongsun ZanCNChinese warlord and general (died 199)
• Zan Ludlumcasting director
• Xiang Zhennot in their usual nameYuan dynasty person CBDB = 104800
• Li Zhennot in their usual nameperson, CBDB = 164062

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 · 399 rows in the corpus for this spelling.

Frequently asked questions

How common is the name Zan?

We estimate roughly 8.5 thousand people bear Zan (counting its spellings and scripts) across 10 countries in our records.

In which country does Zan have the most bearers?

We estimate about 7.5 thousand people bear Zan in Slovenia, more than in any other country in our records, where it is most often spelled zan.

Where is Zan most common?

Zan is densest in Slovenia, where the national register counts about 1 in 281 people carrying it.

Is Zan a male or female name?

Zan is a male name in our records. Opposite-gender entries fall within the cross-gender noise we measure in the source data, so we don't report them as usage.

What does the name Zan mean?

Recorded meaning: A diminutive of the female given names Susan, Susanne, Suzanne, or Susanna.