Names / Tan
Is Tan a first name or a last name?
Tan is a family name (last name). It is mostly a family name in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Turkey.
Tan is the most common family name among Chinese Singaporeans and Malaysians (Chen in pinyin). It is usually written first: in Tan Wei Ming, the person is Mr. Tan and Wei Ming is the given name.
How to address someone called Tan
- China. Tan is a family name and is usually written first. Write Dear Mr. Tan or Dear Ms. Tan, or use the full name if you cannot tell which title fits.
- Malaysia. Tan is a family name, usually written last. Write Dear Mr. Tan or Dear Ms. Tan.
- Singapore. Tan is a family name, usually written last. Write Dear Mr. Tan or Dear Ms. Tan.
- Turkey. Tan is a family name, usually written last. Write Dear Mr. Tan or Dear Ms. Tan.
Not sure which part of a full name is which? Check the full name with the country where the person is based.
Tan by country
People recorded in Wikidata who carry Tan as a family name or as a given name, by country of citizenship (473 in total).
| Country | As family name | As given name | Family name share |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 145 | 1 | 99% |
| Malaysia | 62 | 1 | 98% |
| Singapore | 58 | 0 | 100% |
| Turkey | 57 | 0 | 100% |
| United States | 27 | 0 | 100% |
| Philippines | 17 | 0 | 100% |
| Indonesia | 14 | 1 | 93% |
| Australia | 14 | 0 | 100% |
| Taiwan | 13 | 0 | 100% |
| Netherlands | 11 | 0 | 100% |
Wikidata covers notable people, so counts show how the name is used, not how many people carry it.
Tan in the United States
- As a surname: about 32,120 people in the 2010 census, rank 1,090 among US surnames.
- As a first name: 582 babies born between 1950 and 2017.
More on this naming tradition: How Chinese names work.
Related names
Li · Chen · Wang · Zhang · Yang · Liu · Huang · Wu · Xu · Zhou