Jan Family History

Jan Surname Meaning

North German, Danish, Polish, Sorbian, and Croatian; Czech (also Ján); Slovak (Ján): from the personal name Jan (Slovak Ján) a shortened vernacular form of Latin Johannes (see John). The Sorbian surname is found mainly in Germanized forms Jahn and Jähn. See also Yan.

Slovenian: from the personal name Jan a variant or a short form of Janez, an equivalent of John. Breton (rarely Le Jan): from a Frenchified form of the personal name Ian (modern spelling Yann), a Breton equivalent of John.

French: from a regional variant of the personal name Jean ‘John’. Muslim (mainly Pakistan and India): from a personal name based on the Persian word ḡān ‘soul, life’.

Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 冉, see Ran. Chinese: alternative Mandarin form of the surnames 詹, 占, 湛, 展, 戦, and 粘, see Zhan.

Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 甄, see Zhen. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 鄭, see Zheng.

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

Similar surnames: Jahn, Van, Jans, Han, Jank, Janz, Ban, Pan, Kan, Man

133,000 record(s) for Jan

97K	Birth, Marriage, and Deaths
2K	Military Records
10K	Immigration Records
8K	Census and Voter Lists
15K	Member Trees

Where is the Jan family from?

You can see how Jan families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Jan family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1841 and 1920. The most Jan families were found in USA in 1920. In 1880 there were 16 Jan families living in California. This was about 34% of all the recorded Jan's in USA. California had the highest population of Jan families in 1880.

Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Jan surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Jan ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer and Seamstress were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Jan. 22% of Jan men worked as a Laborer and 24% of Jan women worked as a Seamstress. Some less common occupations for Americans named Jan were Truck driver and Saleslady.

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

22%

Farmer

16%

Butcher

9%

Truck driver

8%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

Seamstress

24%

Housework

16%

Maid

16%

Saleslady

16%

What Jan family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 8K census records available for the last name Jan. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Jan census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Passenger List

There are 10K immigration records available for the last name Jan. 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.

Military Records

There are 2K military records available for the last name Jan. For the veterans among your Jan ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

What is the average Jan lifespan?

Between 1952 and 2004, in the United States, Jan life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1952, and highest in 1975. The average life expectancy for Jan in 1952 was 49, and 65 in 2004.

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Jan ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.