| ![Show Contents]() Dan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Etymology of DanWhat does the name Dan mean? The history of the Dan family goes back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It is derived from the family living in the valley or the dann. The surname often meant the dweller in the valley. 1 Alternatively the name could have been "derived from the name of an ancestor, 'the son of Daniel,' from nickname Dan. " 2 Early Origins of the Dan familyThe surname Dan was first found in Sussex where Geoffrey atte Danne was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of 1327. Later in Sussex, Simon Dann was found in the Subsidy Rolls for 1332. 1 Early History of the Dan familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dan research. Another 80 words (6 lines of text) covering the year 1327 is included under the topic Early Dan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Dan Spelling VariationsUntil quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Dan include Dan, Dann, Danne, Dans, Danns, Dannes and others. Early Notables of the Dan familyNotables of the family at this time include Dan RankingIn the United States, the name Dan is the 10,787th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3 However, in France, the name Dan is ranked the 9,068th most popular surname with an estimated 500 - 1,000 people with that name. 4 Migration of the Dan family to IrelandSome of the Dan family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
| Dan migration to the United States | + |
Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Dan or a variant listed above:
Dan Settlers in United States in the 17th Century- George Dan who settled in Virginia in 1655
- John Dan, who arrived in Virginia in 1665 5
Dan Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- C K Dan, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 5
| Dan migration to Canada | + |
Some of the first settlers of this family name were: Dan Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century- Mr. John Dan U.E. who settled in Parr Town [Saint John], New Brunswick c. 1784 6
- Mr. Sillick Dan U.E. who settled in Parr Town [Saint John], New Brunswick c. 1784 6
| Dan migration to West Indies | + |
The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 7Dan Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century- John Dan, who settled in Barbados in 1678
| Contemporary Notables of the name Dan (post 1700) | + |
- W. McClaws Dan, American Democratic Party politician, Mayor of Jacksonville, Florida, 1883-85 8
- James Dan, American Libertarian politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Nevada 1st District, 1996 8
- Aluf Dan Biton (b. 1961), Israeli general for the Defense Forces
- Cyrus Dan Prescott (1836-1902), American Republican politician, Attorney for New York Central Railroad; Member of New York State Assembly from Oneida County 3rd District, 1878; U.S. Representative from New York 23rd District, 1879-83
- Victor Dan Gaureanu (1967-2017), Romanian bronze medal fencer at the 1999 World Fencing Championships
- Joe Dan Washington Jr (b. 1953), American former NFL football running back, inducted into the College Pro Football Hall of Fame
- Dr Hugh Dan MacLennan, Scottish broadcaster, author and sporting academic
- Ross Dan Hutchins (b. 1985), British silver medalist tennis player
- Calvin Dan Medlock (b. 1982), former American Minor League Baseball relief pitcher
- Adrian Dan Stanger Ph.D., American academic, Professor in the Department of Mathematics, North Dakota State University
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
- http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
- Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
- Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 8) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
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