Family History and Genealogy Resources by Surname
Tan Surname Origin
Chinese origins - from the name of the state of Tan during the Zhou dynasty. Wu Wang, who established the Zhou dynasty in 1122 B.C., gave the state of Tan to a descendant of the model emperor Yu (2205–2198 bc), with the status of Viscount. Descendants adopted the name of the state Tan as their surname.
Tan Surname Meaning and Family Facts
Tan Last Name Meaning
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A Tan Family History Thought:
'I saw behind me those who had gone, and before me, those who were to come. I looked back and
saw my father, and his father, and all our fathers, and in front, to see my son, and his son, and the
sons upon sons beyond.
And their eyes were my eyes.
As I felt, so they had felt, and were to feel, as then, so now, as tomorrow and forever.
Then I was not afraid, for I was in a long line that had no beginning, and no end, and the hand of
his father grasped my father's hand, and his hand was in mine, and my unborn son took my right
hand, and all, up and down the line that stretched from Time That Was, to Time That Is, and Is Not
Yet, raised their hands to show the link, and we found that we were one...' --Richard Llewellyn in How Green Was My Valley