A Chinese surname the Chan family name comes from the region of Canton in China. It is a varied form of the Chinese names of Chen and Zhan. A Latin word of ‘plana’ means level or flat and has been used in the Portuguese language as Cha and in the Galician language of northwest Spain as Chan.

Spelling variations for Chan include Chen, Chin, Sen, Ting, Tran and Jin.

In China the Chan surname is very popular in China. It is also common in Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia and Macau.
The English Channel Island, the counties of Yorkshire, Lancashire and Warwickshire have the greater Chan populations in England, as does the city of London. In the Scottish region of Banffshire, in the northeast portion, has a population of some Chan families.

In Hawaii, California and New York the Chan surname is common within the United States.

Famous: Jackie Chan (actor from Hong Kong), Priscilla Chan (singer from Hong Kong), Jordan Chan (singer), Wing-tsit Chan (expert on Chinese philosophy and religions) and Jason Keng-Kwin Chan (actor from Malaysia).