In 2008, the surname Yan () was estimated to be the 75th most common surname in the People's Republic of China, shared by around 3.1 million citizens, making it the most common of the surnames romanized Yan without tone markers.
The surname (; ) was created as a result of the second round of simplified Chinese characters, in 1977. Although this series of simplifications was soon retracted, some people retained the simplified surname. One source suggests that the original () is more common, as it is shared by 4,900,000 people, and the 78th-most common name, while is only shared by 3,200,000 people, or the 103rd most common name. Both appear on the Hundred Family Surnames poem.
It may be derived from one of the following sources: from a fief located around Xihua County, Henan, granted to Zhong Yi, a great-grandson of Taibo, by King Wu of Zhou. Another source claims the fief was granted by King Kang of Zhou to his eldest son from a fief (located around the town of Yanjing in Shanxi) granted to Yi, the prince of Jin during the Spring and Autumn period.The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland edited by Patrick Hanks, Richard Coates, Peter McClure
Notable people Yan Chongnian (; born 1934) — Chinese historian Yan Fang () — Chinese softball player Yan Feng () — Chinese paralympic athlete competing in throwing events Yan Hong () — Chinese race walker Yan Lianke (; born 1958) — Chinese writer of novels and short stories Yan Su (; 1930-2016) — Chinese lyricist and screenwriter Yan Sen (; born 1975) — Chinese table tennis player Yan Shipeng (; born 1987) — Chinese football player Yan Song (; born 1981) — Chinese footballer Yan Weiwen (; born 1957) — Chinese opera singer with origins in the People's Liberation Army Yan Xiangchuang () — Chinese professional footballer Yan Xishan (; 1883–1960) — warlord Yan Xuetong (; born 1952) — Dean of the Institute of Modern International Relations at Tsinghua University
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