The Fan surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 8,441 people carried this name — #4,197 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 35,000 people counted. That is up 48% from 5,701 in 2000.

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In Argentina’s national register

At least 208 people named Fan live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they live today

Buenos Aires Province 106
City of Buenos Aires 65
Entre Ríos 23
Misiones 14

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

118 people named Fan live in Switzerland.

They live in 10 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Zurich 47
Geneva 25
Vaud 19
Basel-Stadt 6
Graubünden 5
Jura 4
Zug 3
Valais 3

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In Belgium’s population register

At least 42 people named Fan live in Belgium.

Statbel only publishes a name in a municipality when five or more people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Antwerp.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Antwerp 17
Flemish Brabant 13
East Flanders 7
Brussels-Capital 5

Statbel (Statistics Belgium), family names of the population by municipality, 1 January 2026 — CC BY 4.0.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 28 people named Fan.

Most of them — 19 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 4 départements, most often Paris.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 19
Paris 6
Rhône 1
Yvelines 1
Val-d’Oise 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In the Nordic population registers

155 people named Fan is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 155

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

In print

Fan in American newspapers,
1914.

Newspaper page from Atlanta Georgian carrying the name Fan
Atlanta Georgian 1914-07-19
Newspaper page from Atlanta Georgian carrying the name Fan
Atlanta Georgian 1914-07-19
Newspaper page from Atlanta Georgian carrying the name Fan
Atlanta Georgian 1914-07-19

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 8,417 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Fan in Australian newspapers,
1830s–2000s.

13,465 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Fan. The most, 1,950, date from the 1920s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in the Northern Territory, at 2.4 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 3,719
Victoria 3,432
Queensland 2,426
South Australia 2,106
Western Australia 1,105
Tasmania 480
ACT (Canberra) 112
Northern Territory 48

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Fan.

Who carried it

People named Fan,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Fan Zongjie d. 1045 · politician
  • Fan Shi d. 1913 · politician
  • Fan Shi d. 1913 · politician
  • Fan Yong d. 990 · politician
  • Fan Zongyin d. 1136 · politician
  • Fan Xiang d. 1060 · politician

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Fan,
in the records of 6 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States146 records

146 records of the Fan name in the United States
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 67
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 30
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 29
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 14
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 3
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 1
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 1
  • Sacramento County historic burials 1
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Jamey P. Fan

    Born 1906 in California. Enlisted 1942 at Camp Upton Yaphank, New York; waiter. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1965, buried at Long Island National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Carmine Fan

    Arrived at New York in 1906 aboard the Napolitan Prince from Naples, aged 30; farmer. From Corleone, Palermo, Italy; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. The receipt card sent under the U.S. Alien Registration Act of 1940
    Example: U.S. alien registration card, 1940s
    Alien registration Lum A. Fan

    Born 1882 in China. Registered as a foreign national in Honolulu, Hawaii, under the Alien Registration Act of 1940.

    U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain)

Showing 3 of 146 records for Fan in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Alien Registration Receipt Card, Form AR-3, photo by Bobjgalindo via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0).

Australia19 records

19 records of the Fan name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 8
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 6
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 3
  • Tasmanian Names Index 2
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Ting Wah Fan

    Telecom officer of Blackburn, Victoria; died 1994.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Ah Fan

    Died 1884 in Portland, Tasmania, aged 24.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Wm J. Fan

    Sailed from Victoria in 1913 aboard the Konigin Luise I, bound for Sydney, aged 36.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 19 records for Fan in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

France6 records

6 records of the Fan name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Berthe Fan

    Born 1896 in Paris; died 1999 in Noisy-le-Sec (Seine-Saint-Denis).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Claude Fan

    Born 1935 in Paris; died 1996 in Boulogne-Billancourt (Hauts-de-Seine).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  3. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Zheng Ming Fan

    Born 1957 in China; died 1998 in Clichy (Hauts-de-Seine).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 6 records for Fan in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Canada4 records

4 records of the Fan name in Canada
  • Halifax municipal cemeteries 1
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 1
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 1
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 1
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Charles Fan

    Buried in 1933 at Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia, aged 36.

    Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Oway Fan

    Died 1967; buried at Brookside Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Charlie Fan

    Died 1933 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 4 records for Fan in Canada.

Counts: Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Netherlands4 records

4 records of the Fan name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 2
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 2
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Barend Fan

    Married in 1695 in Breda.

    Open Archives, Brabants Historisch Informatie Centrum (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Kow Fan

    In the population register of Amsterdam; born 1897 in Hongkong.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Amsterdam (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record Johan Christoffel Fan

    Baptised in 1740 in Arnhem.

    Open Archives, Gelders Archief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 4 records for Fan in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Germany1 record

1 record of the Fan name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Arth Friedrich Fan

    From Karlsruhe. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 8 October 1914 (Reserve Infantry Regiment No. 109).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Fan.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Fan is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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