Show ContentsJan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Jan family

The surname Jan was first found in Granada, in southern Spain.

Early History of the Jan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Jan research. Another 82 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Jan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Jan Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Jaen, Jan, Jean and others.

Early Notables of the Jan family

More information is included under the topic Early Jan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Jan World Ranking

In the United States, the name Jan is the 18,166th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Jan is ranked the 627th most popular surname with an estimated 7,530 people with that name. 2 And in New Zealand, the name Jan is the 570th popular surname with an estimated 1,245 people with that name. 3


United States Jan migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Jan Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • John Jansson Jan, who landed in Colorado in 1881 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Jan (post 1700) +

  • Jacques Félix Jan de La Hamelinaye, Count de La Hamelinaye, French Divisional General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 5
  • Kim Jan Henriksen (b. 1960), also known as Kimo, Danish Esperantist singer-musician
  • Peta Jan Murphy (1973-2023), Australian politician., Member of the House of Representatives from 2019 until her death in 2023, representing the Victorian seat of Dunkley for the Australian Labor Party (ALP)
  • Count Antoni Jan Ostrowski (1782-1845), Polish noble landowner, political and economic activist, general and publicist
  • Roman Jan Lentner (1937-2023), Polish footballer who competed in the 1960 Summer Olympics
  • Grzegorz Jan Matuszak (1941-2022), Polish politician, Member of the Democratic Left Alliance, he served in the Senate of Poland from 2001 to 2005
  • Gerrit Jan Schutte (1939-2022), Dutch politician and teacher, member of the defunct Reformed Political League (GPV), Leader of the Reformed Political League (1981-2001)
  • Ryszard Jan Szurkowski (1946-2021), Polish three-time gold and silver medalist road bicycle racer, a legend of the sport in Poland
  • Tomáš Jan Bata CC (1914-2008), also known as Tomas Bata Jr. and Toma Bata, a Czech-born, Canadian founder of Bata Shoe Company, nicknamed "Shoemaker to the World"
  • Cees Jan Winkel (1962-1980), Dutch freestyle swimmer at the 1980 Summer Olympics


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  3. "Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
  4. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  5. Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, March 13) Jacques Jan. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html


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