Surname Overview
The surname Zan is ranked 165th in the Hundred Family Surnames and is pronounced zǎn.
Zan Surname
Population reference (not a current census): 83,454Zan / Zan
Origins
Three Origins
The surname has three proposed origins: a change from Jiu; a tribal name from Shu during the Spring and Autumn period; and the adoption of Zan by the Northern Wei-era Chilushi and Zanlushi after entering the Central Plains.
Historical Records
Documentary Records
The surname is first seen in the Xingyuan. A note to the Hundred Family Surnames gives Taiyuan Commandery as its commandery of prominence and traces it to the Jiu lineage, descendants of the Shang minister Jiu Dan.
Migration and Distribution
Commandery and Migration
The Zan lineage initially lived mainly in Henan and Shanxi, with Taiyuan Commandery as its commandery of prominence. It later moved to Shandong, Hebei, Tianjin, and Jiangnan amid Central Plains warfare; in the early Ming, migrants from Hongdong County were dispersed to Anhui, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and elsewhere, forming a prominent lineage around Pengcheng.
Notable People
Historical Figure
Zan Yin was a Tang-period obstetrician and gynecological physician from Chengdu. His works include Chanbao, Daoyang Fang, and Shiyi Xin Jian.
Research Notes
Evidence Boundaries
There is currently no reliable data on the origin of the Zan surname, and its present population has not entered China's top 300 surnames.
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