Lan
Feminine
Lan is given to both — 769 girls and 318 boys since 1880. See other names given to both
Lan is three letters, recorded for boys and girls alike. In Vietnamese and in Chinese it is the word for an orchid, and the orchid is not just a flower there: it is one of a set of four plants that stand for a whole ideal of character.
How old is the name Lan?
Lan first appears in US birth records in 1972 — 53 years ago. The typical Lan alive today was born around 1987, making them about 38 years old. About 800 people named Lan are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Lan most popular?
Lan peaked in 1982, reaching #2150 nationally. See the whole 1982 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Lan
Chinese painting and poetry use four plants together, each standing for a season and a virtue: plum blossom for endurance, orchid for quiet integrity, bamboo for flexibility that does not break, chrysanthemum for dignity late in life. They are called the Four Gentlemen, and a scholar was expected to be able to paint all four. The orchid in that set is not a showy hothouse flower but a small, modestly scented wild one that grows in remote valleys and is admired precisely because it does not perform. A person described as having the character of an orchid is being paid a serious compliment about behaving well without an audience.
Meaningnot established
Not established
In Vietnamese and Chinese the word means an orchid, and the tone that distinguishes it is stripped by American records. Whether an American Lan is that name, a short form of something English, or a surname in front position is not recoverable from the record.
Pronouncing Lan
LAHN
One syllable. Vietnamese and Chinese both mark it with a tone that English has no way of writing, and the tone is part of the word.
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1972
- Most girls named
- 198247 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2150reached in 1982
- Change vs 2018
- 0.0%5 in 2019, from 5
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Lan in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Lan in Vietnamese — same name
- Lán in Chinese — transliteration
Lans among us
people named Lan are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Lan sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- Three letters and one syllable: quick to write and learned by a child immediately.
- It is immediately legible to a very large community and genuinely rare outside it.
- It is recorded for boys and for girls, so it does not force a reading on anyone.
- The tone that completes the name in its own language is stripped by American paperwork.
- This spelling goes more often to boys than to girls in American records, which will surprise people who know the name from Vietnam.
- Names this short are occasionally rejected by forms and databases.
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Lan
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Lans are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 800 people named Lan are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Lan in 2025?
- Lan is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Lan with classmates?
- Lan will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More L names
The most-given names starting with L, all years combined.
Linda#902 · Lisa#987 · Laura#379 · Lauren#401 · Lillian#57 · Lori#1721 · Louise#514 · Lois#1666
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Lan? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Lan and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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