ESC Name Rank Total Searching... No names found Try searching for: Emma, Liam, Olivia, Noah... 👦As Boy Name 1971 First Year 2026 Last Year 2026 Peak Year #2686 Peak Rank 1K Total Count 48 Years Active 👧As Girl Name 1983 First Year 2017 Last Year 2000 Peak Year #8534 Peak Rank 99 Total Count 16 Years Active 🌍 ## Meaning & Origin of Yan What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures. Yan is a name with multiple cultural origins: Belarusian, Chinese, French. Origin data from [Behind the Name ](https://www.behindthename.com/). ### Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name) * Belarusian * Chinese * French 📖 ## The Story of Yan ### As a girl name American parents first put Yan on the record books as a girl name in 1983, with 5 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 2000, when 11 Yans were born — ranking #8,534 that year. The 2000s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 56% of all recorded Yans. Its most recent appearance in the national data came in 2017 (5 births); the name has since faded from the published rankings. In total, more than 99 Yans have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1980s through the 2020s. ### As a boy name American parents first put Yan on the record books as a boy name in 1971, with 5 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 2026, when 49 Yans were born — ranking #2,686 that year. The 2010s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 26% of all recorded Yans. In the latest 2026 data it stands at #2,686 among boy names with 49 births, rising sharply (+48% over the past five years). In total, more than 1K Yans have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1970s through the 2020s. ## Popularity Over Time Girls Boys ## Popularity by State 👧 Girls 👦 Boys ME WA MT ND MN WI MI NY VT NH MA OR ID SD IA IL IN OH PA NJ CT RI CA NV WY NE MO KY WV VA MD DE DC UT CO KS AR TN NC SC AK AZ NM OK LA MS AL GA HI TX FL Top 10 11-50 51-100 101-500 500+ No data 🔗 ## Variants & Related Forms of Yan Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Yan. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * [Ivan](/ivan) * [Yanis](/yanis) * [Yann](/yann) 🌐 ## Where is Yan most common? Predicted country distribution based on naming patterns globally. * 🇨🇳China38% * 🏳️HK29% * 🇲🇾Malaysia12% * 🇫🇷France12% * 🇸🇬Singapore9% Source: [Nationalize.io ](https://nationalize.io/). Probabilities are global naming-pattern estimates, not strict counts. 🎶 ## Names that sound like Yan Phonetically similar names — useful when Yan is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * [Yann](/yann) * Yahn * Yawn * [Yang](/yang) * [Yam](/yam) * [Yen](/yen) * [Yin](/yin) * Youn * [Yon](/yon) * Une * [Yun](/yun) * [Jaan](/jaan) Source: [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated. ❓ ## Frequently Asked Questions about Yan What does the name Yan mean? Yan is a name with multiple cultural origins: Belarusian, Chinese, French. What is the origin of the name Yan? Yan has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: Belarusian, Chinese, French. How popular is Yan in 2026? In 2026, Yan ranks #2,686 among boys' names in the U.S., with 49 babies given the name that year. When was Yan most popular? Yan reached its peak popularity in 2026, ranking #2,686 that year with 49 babies given the name. In which U.S. states is Yan most popular? Yan has historically been most popular in Puerto Rico, New York, Florida. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Yan. Is Yan a unisex name? Yes — Yan is used for both girls and boys in U.S. records, with about 9% of Yans assigned female and 91% assigned male historically. What names go well with Yan? Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Yan include Homar, Jery, Hobie. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data. What are nicknames or variants of Yan? Common variants and related forms of Yan include Ivan, Yanis, Yann. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms. ## Similar Names ### 👦 Similar Boy Names [👦HomarPeak #2686](/homar)[👦JeryPeak #2686](/jery)[👦HobiePeak #2686](/hobie)[👦PamPeak #2686](/pam) ### 👧 Similar Girl Names [👧ElizibethPeak #8534](/elizibeth)[👧BashaPeak #8534](/basha)[👧CatyPeak #8534](/caty)[👧TidaPeak #8534](/tida) ## About the name Yan Yan is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1971 and has accumulated 1K births in the dataset. Yan's peak popularity came in 2026 when it ranked #2,686\. Use the chart and map above to compare Yan's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices. ### Continue exploring * [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026) * [ Names of the 2020s → ](/decade/2020s) * [ Names starting with "Y" → ](/letter/y) * [ Browse all boy names → ](/names/boys) * [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026) * [ Browse unisex names → ](/names/unisex) Data sources * Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. [Social Security Administration ](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/). Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships. * Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — [Behind the Name ](https://www.behindthename.com/) (used under their public API terms). * Meaning prose and editorial summary — [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/) article extracts, licensed under [CC BY-SA 3.0 ](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/). * Predicted nationality distribution — [Nationalize.io ](https://nationalize.io/). * Phonetically similar names — [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.