Tan (覃) Surname Meaning & Origin

Tan (覃) is a common Chinese surname. While 覃 has a literal meaning as a character, surnames don’t always reflect personal traits-the character is best read as a family label.

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

Many surnames began as the names of ancient states, fiefs, places of origin, or titles held by ancestors. Others developed from clan names, occupations, or honorifics. Over time, migration, administrative records, and local dialects shaped how a surname was written and pronounced.

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.

When in doubt, keep the Chinese character as the source of truth and treat different spellings as pronunciation-based variants.

In Mandarin pinyin, it is written Tan. A tone-marked form is Tán.

Below are example full names combining the surname 覃 with common given-name characters (one-character given names shown for simplicity):
– 覃杰 (Tan Jié) – outstanding.
– 覃伟 (Tan Wěi) – great.
– 覃晨 (Tan Chén) – morning.
– 覃轩 (Tan Xuān) – lofty.
– 覃然 (Tan Rán) – so; thus.
– 覃欣 (Tan Xīn) – joyful.

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