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San Family History

San Name Meaning

Burmese: from a personal name usually forming part of a compound name from san ‘moon’ also ‘good luck’ or from a homonym meaning ‘spring (of water)’. See also 2 below. Burmese: from a personal name usually forming part of a compound name from hsan ‘to be extraordinary’. — Note: Since Burmese do not have hereditary surnames these names (see also 1 above) were registered as such only after immigration of their bearers to the US. Cambodian: written សាន្ត from a Khmer word meaning ‘(to be) calm comfortable’ of Sanskrit origin. Cambodian: written សាន or សាន់ unexplained. Chinese: Cantonese form of the surnames 申 and 慎 see Shen 2 and Chinese: Cantonese form of the surname 辛 see Xin 7: Chinese: Cantonese form of the surname 山 see Shan 8: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surnames 冼 and 洗 see Xian 9: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 盛 see Sheng .10: Turkish: ornamental name or nickname from san ‘fame reputation’ or from a regional homonym meaning ‘wish’.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: Sam, Sin, Shan, Tan, Man, Kan, Yan, Wan, Han, Sun

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Where is the San family from?

You can see how San families moved over time by selecting different census years. The San family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most San families were found in USA in 1920. In 1840 there was 1 San family living in Ohio. This was 100% of all the recorded San's in USA. Ohio had the highest population of San families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the San surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
  • 1840
  • 1880
  • 1920
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What did your San ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer and Housewife were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named San. 37% of San men worked as a Laborer and 22% of San women worked as a Housewife. Some less common occupations for Americans named San were Salesman and Teacher. .

View Census Data for San | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Laborer
    37%
  • Farmer
    11%
  • Cook
    8%
  • Salesman
    8%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Housewife
    22%
  • Clerk
    22%
  • Cook
    16%
  • Teacher
    11%
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What San family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 164,000 census records available for the last name San. Like a window into their day-to-day life, San census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

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Passenger Lists

There are 29,000 immigration records available for the last name San. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

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Draft Cards

There are 94,000 military records available for the last name San. For the veterans among your San ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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What is the average San lifespan?

Between 1964 and 2004, in the United States, San life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1984, and highest in 1986. The average life expectancy for San in 1964 was 83, and 68 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for San

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