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Gan Family History

Gan Surname Meaning

Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 甘 meaning ‘sweet pleasant’ in Chinese: (i) from the personal name of Gan Pan (甘盤) a high official during the reign of King Wu Ding (died 1192 BC) in the Shang dynasty. (ii) from Gan (甘) the name of an ancient state (located in present-day Shaanxi province) during the Xia dynasty (2070–1600 BC). (iii) from Gan (甘) the name of a fief (located in present-day Luoyang in Henan province) granted to Dai who was known as Gan Zhao Gong (甘昭公 Duke Zhao of Gan) son of King Xiang of Zhou (died 619 BC).

Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 干 meaning ‘shield’ in ancient Chinese: (i) from the personal name of Gan Chou (干犨) an official in the state of Song (located in present-day Shangqiu in Henan province) during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC). (ii) from the placename Gan (邗) the name of a fief (located in present-day Yangzhou in Jiangsu province) that was granted to the son of King Wu of Zhou (c. 1087–1043 BC). When the placename was adopted as a surname people simplified the Chinese character 邗 to 干 which has the same pronunciation.

(iii) from the placename Gan Sui (干隧) (located in present-day Wuxian in Jiangsu province). (iv) from the He Gan (紇干) family of the Xianbei ethnic group in northern China who changed their original surname to 干 during the Northern Wei dynasty (386–534 AD). (v) from the compound surname Gan-Lei (干類) said to be originally the name of an ancient state (unknown location) prior to the Xia dynasty (2070–1600 BC).

Chinese: alternative Cantonese form of the surname 簡 see Jian. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 嚴 and 顏 possibly based on their Hokkien pronunciations see Yan 1 and Filipino: of Chinese origin variant Romanization of the surname 嚴 (see 4 above).

Irish: from Mag Gana see McGann.

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


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Where is the Gan family from?

You can see how Gan families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Gan family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Gan families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 27 Gan families living in London. This was about 28% of all the recorded Gan's in United Kingdom. London had the highest population of Gan families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Gan surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Gan ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, Builders Labourer and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Gan. 100% of Gan men worked as a Builders Labourer and 100% of Gan women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties.

View Census Data for Gan | 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 1939

  • Builders Labourer
    100%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    100%

What Gan family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 13,000 census records available for the last name Gan. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Gan 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 3,000 immigration records available for the last name Gan. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

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Draft Cards

There are 6,000 military records available for the last name Gan. For the veterans among your Gan ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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What is the average Gan lifespan?

Between 1953 and 2004, in the United States, Gan life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1953, and highest in 1970. The average life expectancy for Gan in 1953 was 39, and 81 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Gan

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Gan 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.

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