Phan
A surname found especially in Vietnamese communities, where it usually comes from a Sino-Vietnamese family name of Chinese origin.
The #918 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 8,160 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Phan is best known as a Vietnamese surname, usually written in the Sino-Vietnamese tradition and ultimately linked to a Chinese family name. The exact Chinese character can vary by family line, so the deeper literal meaning is not always the same from one bearer to another. In English-language usage it is normally treated as a straightforward inherited family name rather than a descriptive word.
History
The surname is common in Vietnam and is also widely carried by diaspora communities, especially in the United States. In older European surname literature it is not usually treated as a native Germanic or English surname, and the provided excerpt does not supply a specific etymology for it. Modern U.S. frequency reflects immigration and descendant communities rather than independent creation in English.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In U.S. census data, Phan is common enough to rank among the top 1,000 surnames nationally.
From the historical record
“r UEST OF SAMUEL GRANT OL»PHAN 1937 J”
— British Family Names: their origin and meaning (2nd ed.)