Our answer
China’s 28th most common surname 韩
A surname traced to the ruling house of Han, one of the seven Warring States, conquered by Qin in 230 BCE
The short answer
Han (韩, traditional 韓, Hán) is a Chinese surname ranked 28th in China by the Ministry of Public Security in 2019. It refers to the ancient state of Han, one of the Warring States, whose ruling family took the state’s name as their surname. It is spelled Hon in Cantonese, and it is not the 汉 (Hàn) of ‘Han Chinese’.
| In Chinese | 韩 (simplified), 韓 (traditional) |
|---|---|
| Pinyin | Hán (second, rising tone) |
| Rank in China (2019) | 28th, Ministry of Public Security list of the 100 most common surnames |
| Other spellings | Hon (Cantonese), Hang (Hainan), Han (Korean, 한), Hàn (Vietnamese) |
| Meaning of the character | The name of the ancient state of Han (5th–3rd centuries BCE), in today’s Shanxi and Henan |
| Largest in | Henan, the province with the most people named Han (Fuxi Institution, 2013) |
| Population | About 8.15 million, 0.61% of China’s population (Fuxi Institution, 2013) |
Origins of the Han surname
The main source of the name is the state of Han (韩国), one of the seven Warring States, which lay in what is now Shanxi and Henan between the fifth and third centuries BCE. According to tradition its rulers descended from Wan, a relative of the Zhou royal house who held land at Hanyuan (韩原). When Qin conquered Han in 230 BCE, members of the former ruling family kept the state’s name as their surname.
A more mythical genealogy traces the Han to Han Liu, a grandson of the legendary Yellow Emperor. Over the centuries other groups also took the name: under the Northern Wei, the Xianbei clan name Dahan was shortened to Han, and several Manchu clan names were later changed to Han.
The family flourished in Henan around Yangdi (阳翟), the old Han capital, and Nanyang, giving rise to the Yingchuan (颍川) ancestral seat. Under the Tang dynasty the three most eminent Han lineages were based at Chenliu (modern Kaifeng), Hedong and Guangling (modern Yangzhou).[3][4][5]
How Han is spelled around the world
| Spelling | Where | Language or system |
|---|---|---|
| Han | Mainland China, Taiwan and the West | Mandarin, pinyin and Wade–Giles |
| Hon | Hong Kong and Cantonese-speaking communities | Cantonese |
| Hang | Hainan | Hainanese |
| Han (한) | Korea | Korean |
| Hàn | Vietnam | Vietnamese |
| Kan | Japan | Japanese reading |
Where the Han surname is most common
Han was the 28th most common surname in the Ministry of Public Security’s 2019 list. The Fuxi Institution’s 2013 ranking placed it 29th, with about 8.15 million people, or 0.61% of the population, and Henan the province with the most. The top 100 surnames together cover 85.9% of China’s registered population.
It is above all a northern surname. In the north it is most common in Henan, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi and Hebei; in the south, in Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang and Guangdong, where families moved after periods of war in the north. From the Ming and Qing dynasties some Han families also settled in Taiwan and Southeast Asia.[1][2][4]
Famous people named Han
| Name | Chinese | Known for |
|---|---|---|
| Han Fei | 韩非 | Warring States philosopher |
| Han Xin | 韩信 | General of the early Western Han dynasty |
| Han Yu | 韩愈 | Tang dynasty poet and philosopher |
| Han Gan | 韩干 | Tang dynasty painter |
| Han Shizhong | 韩世忠 | Southern Song general |
| Han Ximeng | 韩希孟 | Ming dynasty silk embroiderer |
| Han Shaogong | 韩少功 | Novelist |
| Han Hong | 韩红 | Singer and songwriter |
| Han Meilin | 韩美林 | Artist |
| Han Xiaopeng | 韩晓鹏 | Freestyle skier |
Questions readers ask
What does the Han surname mean?
韩 refers to the ancient state of Han, one of the Warring States, in what is now Shanxi and Henan. When Qin conquered it in 230 BCE, its ruling family kept the state’s name as their surname.
Is Han a Chinese last name?
Yes. Han (韩) is the 28th most common surname in China in the Ministry of Public Security’s 2019 list. It is also a common Korean surname.
How common is the Han surname in China?
The Fuxi Institution estimated about 8.15 million people named Han in 2013, around 0.61% of the population. Henan has the most, and the name is concentrated in northern China.
How do you pronounce Han?
In pinyin it is Hán, with a rising second tone. The vowel is an open ‘ah’, so it sounds roughly like ‘hahn’, not like the English name ‘Han’ with a flat ‘a’.
Is the surname Han the same as Han Chinese?
No. The surname is 韩 (Hán); the Han of ‘Han Chinese’ and the Han dynasty is 汉 (Hàn), a different character with a different tone.
Is Hon a Chinese surname?
Hon is the usual Cantonese spelling of 韩, used in Hong Kong. In Hainan the same surname may be spelled Hang.
Sources
- Wikipedia, List of common Chinese surnames (2019 Ministry of Public Security ranking; 2013 Fuxi Institution figures; romanisation table) · accessed 1 Nov 2026
- The Paper (澎湃新闻), 2019年全国姓名报告 (Ministry of Public Security Household Registration Administration Research Center, January 2020) · accessed 1 Nov 2026
- Wikipedia, Han (Chinese surname) · accessed 1 Nov 2026
- Wikipedia (Chinese), 韩姓 · accessed 1 Nov 2026
- Behind the Name, Han (surname) · accessed 1 Nov 2026
Update log. 1 November 2026 — reviewed. Next review due 1 February 2027. Suggest a correction