This page needs Javascript enabled in order to work properly. Click here for instructions on how to enable it in your browser.
Surname Header Image
Get access to Jan family records.Start a 14-Day Free Trial

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: 

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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 1891 there were 5 Jan families living in Northamptonshire. This was about 45% of all the recorded Jan's in United Kingdom. Northamptonshire had the highest population of Jan families in 1891.
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.
Mapbox
© Mapbox © OpenStreetMap Improve this map

What did your Jan ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, Pedlar and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Jan. 60% of Jan men worked as a Pedlar and 84% of Jan women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Jan were Kitchen Porter and Private Means.

View Census Data for Jan | 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

  • Pedlar
    60%
  • Kitchen Porter
    40%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    84%
  • Private Means
    17%

What Jan family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 8,000 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.

Search UK census records for Jan

Passenger Lists

There are 10,000 immigration records available for the last name Jan. 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.

View all Jan immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 2,000 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.

View all Jan military records

You've only scratched the surface of Jan family history

Discover More

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Jan family tree

Explore Your Tree
Search for another surname
Enter last name/surname
Start a 14-Day Free Trial