Zan
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- ZAN
- Origin
- Greek
- US rank, 2025
- #8,906 for boys
Zan is a boys' name of Greek origin, meaning “defender of the people”. In 2025 it ranked 8,906th for boys in the US (8 babies).
What does Zan mean?
Greek: short form of Alexander or Zander; also a Chinese and Slovene name
“defender of the people”
Also a Slovene name, Žan, the local form of John, and a separate Chinese given name.
Is Zan a girl's or a boy's name?
Zan is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 8 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Zan in the UK?
No boys in the UK were given it in 2025, or too few to be listed. Its busiest year was 2001, with 4 boys.
Zan in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 3 | #5,198 |
| 2023 | 3 | #5,193 |
| 2022 | 3 | #5,017 |
| 2021 | 0 | – |
| 2020 | 0 | – |
| 2019 | 0 | – |
| 2018 | 0 | – |
| 2017 | 0 | – |
| 2016 | 0 | – |
| 2015 | 0 | – |
| 2014 | 4 | #4,063 |
| 2013 | 1 | #6,198 |
| 2012 | 0 | – |
| 2011 | 0 | – |
| 2010 | 0 | – |
| 2009 | 0 | – |
| 2008 | 0 | – |
| 2007 | 0 | – |
| 2006 | 4 | #3,522 |
| 2005 | 0 | – |
| 2004 | 0 | – |
| 2003 | 3 | #3,593 |
| 2002 | 0 | – |
| 2001 | 4 | #2,714 |
| 2000 | 3 | #3,146 |
| 1999 | 0 | – |
| 1998 | 0 | – |
| 1997 | 3 | #2,979 |
How popular is Zan in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #8,906among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 8about 1 in 210,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Too rare to calltoo few babies to tell
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 8 boys in the US were named Zan, making it the 8,906th most popular name for boys. Its busiest year was 2002, with 20 boys. It first appears in the records in 1916.
Half of all the boys named Zan in the US since 1880 were born between 1960 and 2004, the years shaded on the chart below.
Zan in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 8 | #8,906 |
| 2024 | 11 | #7,252 |
| 2023 | 5 | #12,232 |
| 2022 | 7 | #9,815 |
| 2021 | 9 | #8,161 |
| 2020 | 0 | – |
| 2019 | 5 | #12,138 |
| 2018 | 5 | #12,150 |
| 2017 | 6 | #10,770 |
| 2016 | 0 | – |
| 2015 | 5 | #12,080 |
| 2014 | 0 | – |
| 2013 | 9 | #8,113 |
| 2012 | 7 | #9,703 |
| 2011 | 9 | #8,072 |
| 2010 | 9 | #8,133 |
| 2009 | 15 | #5,796 |
| 2008 | 12 | #6,758 |
| 2007 | 14 | #5,898 |
| 2006 | 20 | #4,516 |
| 2005 | 7 | #9,108 |
| 2004 | 16 | #5,002 |
| 2003 | 19 | #4,271 |
| 2002 | 20 | #4,038 |
| 2001 | 11 | #6,006 |
| 2000 | 14 | #5,034 |
| 1999 | 8 | #7,132 |
| 1998 | 11 | #5,460 |
| 1997 | 10 | #5,636 |
| 1996 | 9 | #5,975 |
| 1995 | 9 | #5,922 |
| 1994 | 9 | #5,862 |
| 1993 | 10 | #5,353 |
| 1992 | 14 | #4,106 |
| 1991 | 8 | #5,934 |
| 1990 | 5 | #8,108 |
| 1989 | 13 | #4,011 |
| 1988 | 8 | #5,194 |
| 1987 | 9 | #4,567 |
| 1986 | 5 | #6,715 |
| 1985 | 11 | #3,802 |
| 1984 | 0 | – |
| 1983 | 0 | – |
| 1982 | 0 | – |
| 1981 | 6 | #5,466 |
| 1980 | 0 | – |
| 1979 | 5 | #6,054 |
| 1978 | 5 | #5,769 |
| 1977 | 5 | #5,843 |
| 1976 | 0 | – |
| 1975 | 0 | – |
| 1974 | 0 | – |
| 1973 | 5 | #5,099 |
| 1972 | 0 | – |
| 1971 | 6 | #4,373 |
| 1970 | 7 | #3,834 |
| 1969 | 7 | #3,594 |
| 1968 | 11 | #2,575 |
| 1967 | 8 | #2,984 |
| 1966 | 6 | #3,535 |
| 1965 | 9 | #2,778 |
| 1964 | 10 | #2,664 |
| 1963 | 0 | – |
| 1962 | 11 | #2,502 |
| 1961 | 8 | #3,095 |
| 1960 | 10 | #2,683 |
| 1959 | 11 | #2,529 |
| 1958 | 8 | #3,031 |
| 1957 | 10 | #2,629 |
| 1956 | 8 | #2,967 |
| 1955 | 9 | #2,763 |
| 1954 | 10 | #2,591 |
| 1953 | 6 | #3,423 |
| 1952 | 0 | – |
| 1951 | 7 | #3,064 |
| 1950 | 10 | #2,437 |
| 1949 | 6 | #3,296 |
| 1948 | 0 | – |
| 1947 | 5 | #3,731 |
| 1946 | 9 | #2,533 |
| 1945 | 7 | #2,742 |
| 1944 | 6 | #3,108 |
| 1943 | 0 | – |
| 1942 | 0 | – |
| 1941 | 0 | – |
| 1940 | 0 | – |
| 1939 | 6 | #3,112 |
| 1938 | 0 | – |
| 1937 | 7 | #2,905 |
| 1936 | 0 | – |
| 1935 | 6 | #3,252 |
| 1934 | 5 | #3,677 |
| 1933 | 5 | #3,640 |
| 1932 | 0 | – |
| 1931 | 0 | – |
| 1930 | 0 | – |
| 1929 | 0 | – |
| 1928 | 6 | #3,695 |
| 1927 | 0 | – |
| 1926 | 5 | #4,199 |
| 1925 | 0 | – |
| 1924 | 0 | – |
| 1923 | 0 | – |
| 1922 | 0 | – |
| 1921 | 0 | – |
| 1920 | 0 | – |
| 1919 | 0 | – |
| 1918 | 0 | – |
| 1917 | 0 | – |
| 1916 | 6 | #3,515 |
Names like Zan
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Muhammad Zayd Hamza Ahmed Abdulrahman Abdullah Zayaan Musa Hassan Abdurrahman Saif Zayan
Names related to Zan
More Greek names
Luca Theodore Sophia George Theo Lucas Sofia Alexander Sebastian Penelope Phoebe Margot Luke Chloe Sophie Zoe
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Zan: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/zan, updated 20 October 2026.