Zan (surname) explained

P:	Zǎn
W:	Tsan^3
J:	Zaan^2
Mc:	pronounced as //t͡sʌm^X//

Zan (昝) is a Chinese surname.^[1] It is romanized Tsan in Wade–Giles, or Zaan in Cantonese romanization.^[2] According to a 2013 study, it was the 391st most common name in China; it was shared by 87,000 people, or 0.007% of the population, with the province with the most people being Sichuan.^[3] It is the 165th name on the Hundred Family Surnames poem.^[4]

Origins

• According to the Shuowen Jiezi, the surname may have originated as a corruption of (cǎn), which had a similar pronunciation.
• a surname originating in ancient southwestern China
• adopted as a surname by the Zan Lu (昝盧) or Chi Lu (叱盧) families from the Xianbei people in northern China during the Northern Wei period (AD 386–534)
• said to be adopted in place of the surname Jiu (meaning ‘disaster’)^[5]

Notable people

• Zan Jian (昝堅), Jin-era general
• Zan Jiaxiang (昝家驤), basketball player and coach

Notes and References

1. Web site: Chinese character 昝 (zan3) components and definition (surname Zan). Mandarin Lang.
2. Web site: Wu Chʻe Yün Fu: A Dictionary of the Chinese Language. Robert. Morrison. December 29, 1865. London Mission Press. Google Books.
3. [Yuan Yida]
4. K. S. Tom. [1989] (1989). Echoes from Old China: Life, Legends and Lore of the Middle Kingdom. University of Hawaii Press. .
5. Web site: Zan Name Meaning & Zan Family History at Ancestry.com®. www.ancestry.com.