Yan
Yan is usually a Chinese surname, but in older European sources it can also appear as a short form or spelling variant tied to names like John/Jean.
The #3,182 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 27,193 Americans shares it.
Etymology
As a Chinese surname, Yan most commonly represents a family name written with several possible characters and romanized in more than one way. The historical European excerpts also show Yan as a variant or shortened form in different traditions: in Cornish, it was linked to John (from the local form Yan), while in French and Dutch contexts it could appear as a clipped or spelling variant in surnames. Because the form occurs in several unrelated naming systems, the surname as written is not from one single source.
History
The provided sources show Yan in at least three different historical settings: as a Chinese-style surname, as a Cornish form connected with John, and as a Dutch/French-looking surname element in older surname lists. In English-language records, the spelling can therefore reflect either an imported East Asian surname or a rare local/European form rather than one settled lineage. Modern bearer counts in the U.S. strongly suggest that Chinese origins are the main contemporary association.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
One 19th-century Cornish source explains a place-name element tre-yan as meaning “the dwelling of Yan or John,” showing how the same short name could function very differently in regional surname history.
From the historical record
“town of Doesen, in Lower Saxony. YAN DYCK. (Dutch.) From the dyke j a bank or mound thrown up to prevent inundations from the river or sea. YAN EPS. Local. From the town of Eep, in Holland. YAN HOOYEN. Local. From Hoeven, a town in Holland. YAN HORN 'and YAN HOORN. Local From the town of Horn or Hoorn, in Holland.…”
— An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names