Given name & surname
Than
“a brilliant man”
Than is used as a given name and a surname. One Vietnamese interpretation is “a brilliant man.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Vietnamese interpretation is “a brilliant man.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Vietnamese.
How it developed
In English usage, Than as a surname developed from ថន.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1956. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Than through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 36
- 36 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1986
- 8 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 5 in 2013. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 8 in 1986. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 2,138 as a first name in 2020; 2,861 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Than’s family of names
In English usage, Than as a surname developed from the Khmer form ថន. Than has a related form in Thann.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
Similar names
If you love Than, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Thinh
“a prosperous man”
>99% boys
Thach
Thach is a surname from Vietnamese. It is used in English and French.
>99% boys
Thuan
“one who is tamed”
98% boys · 2% girls
Tho
“having a long life”
88% boys · 12% girls
Canh
“of the endless environment”
>99% boys
Danh
Danh is a surname.
>99% boys
Toan
“one who is safe”
>99% boys
Chien
“a combative man”
>99% boys