The Lan surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 3,262 people carried this name — #9,910 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 90,100 people counted. That is up 44% from 2,262 in 2000.
What the name means
The meaning of the Lan surname
From lán (“an old Czech measure unit”).
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Lán» (Czech), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 318 people named Lan.
9 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 24 départements, most often Bouches-du-Rhône.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Argentina’s national register
At least 157 people named Lan 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 mapWhere they live today
RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.
In Poland’s population register
46 people named Lan have a registered home in Poland.
Of the 152 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 7 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Lower Silesian.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
20 people named Lan live in Switzerland.
They live in 4 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
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 the Nordic population registers
50 people named Lan is counted in Sweden.
Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.
Counted, by country
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
Lan in American newspapers,
1910–1930.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 2,139,774 pages in all carry the name.
Who carried it
People named Lan,
with a public archive behind them.
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Lan Zhaozhu d. 1864
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Lan Guangju d. 1898
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Lan Siming d. 1907
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Lan Run d. 1665 · politician
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Lan Jizong 960– · eunuch
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Lan Jizong 960– · eunuch
Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Lan.
- Lampert 3,484 · U.S. census
- Lamperti 133 · U.S. census
- Lample 130 · U.S. census
- Lampson 836 · U.S. census
- Lams 194 · U.S. census
- Lamy 1,486 · U.S. census
- Lana 841 · U.S. census
- Lanata 143 · U.S. census
- Lance 13,122 · U.S. census
- Lancelin 149 · U.S. census
- Lancelot 157 · U.S. census
- Lancia 565 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Lan 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.