Orient Name
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阎 Yan — a top-100 surname
76.1 / 100 overall fit
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| Pinyin | Yan |
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| Strokes | 11 |
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| Commonness | a top-100 surname |
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| Type | single-character |
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Where the surname comes from
A surname from the ancient state of Yan, common in Shaanxi and Shanxi.
Why it scores this way
Easy to say96
Reads the way it looks for an English speaker — no sounds English doesn't have.
Recognised in China63
Common enough that most Chinese speakers recognise it (roughly the top 100).
Easy to write65
11 strokes — a little practice and it flows.
People who carried this name
- Yan Xishan — Warlord governor of Shanxi province (1883–1960) for nearly four decades.
- Yan Liben — Tang dynasty painter and official, famed for the scroll 'Bunian Tu' (Emperor Taizong Receiving the Tibetan Envoy) and 'Thirteen Emperors'.
- Yan Lianke — Contemporary Chinese novelist, known for satirical works like 'Serve the People!' and 'The Four Books'; won the 2014 Franz Kafka Prize.
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Other surnames with the same feel
中文版