The Wan surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 5,831 people carried this name — #5,911 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 50,500 people counted. That is up 27% from 4,605 in 2000.

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In Poland’s population register

108 people named Wan have a registered home in Poland.

Of the 173 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

Lower Silesian 72
Subcarpathian 21
Kuyavian-Pomeranian 6
Masovian 3
Łódź 2
Holy Cross 2
West Pomeranian 2

PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 83 people named Wan 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 City of Buenos Aires.

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

Where they live today

City of Buenos Aires 34
Buenos Aires Province 27
Santa Fe 22

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

In Belgium’s population register

At least 56 people named Wan 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

Hainaut 16
Antwerp 15
Flemish Brabant 8
Walloon Brabant 7
East Flanders 5
Liège 5

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

In Switzerland’s population statistics

54 people named Wan live in Switzerland.

They live in 6 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 16
Geneva 13
Vaud 12
Solothurn 6
Zug 4
Aargau 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 France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 43 people named Wan.

Most of them — 25 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 4 départements, most often French Polynesia.

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

Where they were born

Born outside France 25
French Polynesia 13
Pas-de-Calais 2
Paris 2
Allier 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

108 people named Wan is counted in Sweden.

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

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 108

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

Wan in American newspapers,
1884–1902.

Newspaper page from The Scranton Chronicle carrying the name Wan
The Scranton Chronicle 1902-02-08
Newspaper page from Daily Yellowstone Journal carrying the name Wan
Daily Yellowstone Journal 1884-03-06
Newspaper page from The Scranton Tribune carrying the name Wan
The Scranton Tribune 1897-11-27

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 4,574 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Wan in Australian newspapers,
1830s–1990s.

36,371 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Wan. The most, 6,975, 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 Queensland, at 1.3 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 12,280
Queensland 8,855
Victoria 8,016
South Australia 3,247
Western Australia 2,314
Tasmania 1,430
ACT (Canberra) 116
Northern Territory 12

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

Who carried it

People named Wan,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Wan Xiangchun d. 1612 · politician
  • Wan Shi d. 1760 · poet
  • Tuan Hassan Besut d. 1910 · ulema
  • Wan Yu d. 273 · politician
  • Wan Jingguang d. 1983
  • Wan Hong d. 1110

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

In the public record

People named Wan,
in the records of 5 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 States174 records

174 records of the Wan name in the United States
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 104
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 28
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 19
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 15
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 6
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 1
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 1
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Chin T. Wan

    Born 1924 in Hawaiian Islands. Enlisted 1945, from Hawaiian Islands. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1964, buried at National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu, Hawaii.

    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 Luisa Wan

    Arrived at New York in 1848 aboard the Mary & Jane from Havre, aged 24; farmer. From Wurtemberg, Germany; bound for New Orleans.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. A U.S. Army record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864
    Example: U.S. burial record, 1864
    Burial record Chin On Wan

    U.S. Army veteran of World War I. Born 1894, died 1973; buried at Fort Snelling National Cemetery, Minnesota.

    U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)

Showing 3 of 174 records for Wan 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) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · 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. 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); Record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864, U.S. National Archives (public domain).

Netherlands85 records

85 records of the Wan name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 35
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 35
  • Dutch population registers 15
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Johannes Nicolaas Wan

    Born 1889 in Enkhuizen. Married in 1921 in Goes; "cacaobewerker". Died 1926 in Enkhuizen, aged 36.

    Open Archives, Westfries Archief (CC BY 4.0); Open Archives, Zeeuws Archief (CC BY 4.0); Open Archives, Noord-Hollands Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Nam Wan

    Died 1959 in 's-Gravenhage, aged 47; stoker.

    Open Archives, Haags Gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Dirck Wan

    Buried in 1686 in Bergen op Zoom.

    Open Archives, West Brabants Archief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 85 records for Wan 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); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Australia17 records

17 records of the Wan name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 8
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 5
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 3
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 1
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Poon Wan

    Retired storekeeper of Strathfield, New South Wales; died 1985.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Wm Wan

    Sailed from Victoria in 1869 aboard the Alhambra, aged 31.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Foo Tay Wan

    Of Sydney, New South Wales; died 1922.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)

Showing 3 of 17 records for Wan in Australia.

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

Canada8 records

8 records of the Wan name in Canada
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 4
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 3
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 1
  1. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record Edward Wan

    Left New York in 1783 aboard the Hopewell, bound for Port Roseway, aged 30.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Yuk Ching Wan

    Buried in 2000 at Queen's Park Mausoleum, Calgary, Alberta, aged 67.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Tom Wan

    Died 1942; buried at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.

    City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver.

Showing 3 of 8 records for Wan in Canada.

Counts: City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Emigration file, Gündlingen, 1883, Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Staatsarchiv Freiburg B 694/1 Nr. 1389 (CC BY 4.0); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

France6 records

6 records of the Wan 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 Ngei Leang Wan

    Born 1958 in Cambodia; died 1992 in Chevilly-Larue (Val-de-Marne).

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

    Born 1898 in Cambodia; died 1991 in Paris.

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

    Born 1908 in Cambodia; died 1999 in Épinay-sur-Seine (Seine-Saint-Denis).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 6 records for Wan 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).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Wan.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Wan 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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