The San surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 2,732 people carried this name — #11,512 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 107,500 people counted. That is up 51% from 1,810 in 2000.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
114 people named San live in Switzerland.
They live in 9 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 France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 81 people named San.
Most of them — 54 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 10 départements, most often Tarn.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Belgium’s population register
At least 31 people named San 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 Hainaut.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
Statbel (Statistics Belgium), family names of the population by municipality, 1 January 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In the Nordic population registers
112 people named San are counted in Sweden and Finland.
Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Finland counts its citizens, at home or abroad.
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) · Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland, surname statistics, August 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In print
San in American newspapers,
1914–1916.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 7,240,840 pages in all carry the name.
Who carried it
People named San,
with a public archive behind them.
-
Aung San 1915–1947 · military personnel -
Sylvester Tung Kiem San 1961– · Catholic priest -
Hasan Tahsin San 1865–1951 · politician
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Necip San 1906–1983 · military officer
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Cevdet San 1908–1993 · politician
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Şefik San 1910–1985 · politician
Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · 23 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to San.
- Sampietro 158 · U.S. census
- Sampson 39,277 · U.S. census
- Samson 11,123 · U.S. census
- Samuel 23,125 · U.S. census
- Samy 354 · U.S. census
- Samyn 167 · U.S. census
- Sana 596 · U.S. census
- Sananikone 369 · U.S. census
- Sance 138 · U.S. census
- Sanche 184 · U.S. census
- Sanches 7,883 · U.S. census
- Sanchez 612,752 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where San 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.