Yan surname is ranked 236th in the "Hundred Surnames". It is outside the top 300 surnames in terms of population nationwide in 2007.

Some famous people with the Yan surname in history

Yan Yan

A minister during the time of Emperor Shun of the ancient times, he was an expert in music. He improved the eight-stringed zither to twenty-five strings, which was a great invention.

Yan Xin

A filial son in the Song Dynasty, his courtesy name was Tiankuang, from Yongjia. He studied diligently and practiced virtue. When he was over fifty years old, his mother passed away, and he carried soil on his back to build her tomb. He built a house beside the tomb to keep watch over it. Since white bamboo grew by the tomb and crows perched on the bamboo, there was a sign of "the compassionate crow and the white bamboo".

Yan Zhan

A famous judge in the Ming Dynasty, who served as the Director of the Dali Court during the Yongle period. He was respected by later generations for his strict and fair law enforcement.

Yan Renqian

An honest official in the Song Dynasty. There was a couplet describing him: "He devoted himself to governing, and the people changed their view on the new policies; he was frugal and free from desires, and the people throughout the regions admired his noble reputation."

Famous people with the Yan surname

Yan Tiance, Yan Tianzi, etc.