Pan (潘) Surname Meaning & Origin

Pan (潘) is a well-known Chinese surname. The character 潘 has its own dictionary meaning, but as a family name it mainly functions as an identifier rather than a literal description of the family.

In Chinese naming tradition, the family name comes first and is shared across generations. For the surname Pan (潘), it’s helpful to understand how Chinese surnames generally formed and why the same surname can show up with different spellings.

It’s also common to see one-character surnames like this one paired with one- or two-character given names. For English readers, the key is consistency: decide on one spelling for official documents and use it everywhere.

Across different periods, families moved for work, study, military service, and trade. These migrations spread surnames widely and also created regional pronunciation differences. Because romanization converts sound into Latin letters, the same surname can appear with multiple spellings in English.

For most people, the most useful takeaway is how the surname is written, how it’s pronounced in Mandarin, and which English spellings you may encounter.

In Mandarin pinyin, it is written Pan. A tone-marked form is Pān.

Below are example full names combining the surname 潘 with common given-name characters (one-character given names shown for simplicity):
– 潘明 (Pan Míng) – bright; clear.
– 潘宇 (Pan Yǔ) – universe.
– 潘浩 (Pan Hào) – vast.
– 潘丽 (Pan Lì) – beautiful.
– 潘琪 (Pan Qí) – fine jade.
– 潘伟 (Pan Wěi) – great.

Different dialects and romanization systems can produce different spellings for the same surname. Keep the Chinese character (潘) handy to avoid confusion.