Duan Family History

14-Day Free Trial

GET STARTED

Duan Name Meaning

Chinese : from the name of the youngest son of Duke Wu Gong of the state of Zheng during the Spring and Autumn period (722–481 bc). He was brought up by a doting mother and became an arrogant and domineering man. Upon being granted a fief, he raised an army with the goal of overthrowing his elder brother, Duke Zhuang Gong. Hearing of this, the latter remarked, ‘excessive unrighteous behavior must die of itself’, and as he expected, his younger brother failed. Nevertheless some of his descendants adopted Duan as their surname. Another source of the name is from Duan-gan Mu of the state of Wei during the Warring States period (403–221 BC). His descendants simplified Duan-gan to Duan and adopted that as their surname.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press


Similar surnames: Yuan, Guan, Quan, Ruan, Ban, Du, Bean, Duke, Duman, Duin

Ready to discover your family story?

Simply start with yourself and we'll do the searching for you.

Duan Family Origin

Where is the Duan family from?

Mapbox
© Mapbox © OpenStreetMap Improve this map
You can see how Duan families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Duan family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Duan families were found in Canada in 1911. In 1911 there were 20 Duan families living in Ontario. This was about 43% of all the recorded Duan's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Duan families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Duan surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Duan

Duan Family Occupations

What did your Duan ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Labourer and Helper were the top reported jobs for men and women in the CA named Duan. 15% of Duan men worked as a Labourer and 15% of Duan women worked as a Helper. Some less common occupations for Americans named Duan were Absentia Matet and Journalier

View Census data for Duan | Data not to scale

Top Male Occupations in 1921

  • Labourer
    15%
  • Farmer
    11%
  • Fisherman
    8%
  • Absentia Matet
    4%

Top Female Occupations in 1921

  • Helper
    15%
  • Housekeeper
    15%
  • Income
    15%
  • Journalier
    15%

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Duan Historical Records

What Duan family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 2,000 census records available for the last name Duan. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Duan census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search 1881 Canadian census records for Duan

Passenger List

There are 1,000 immigration records available for the last name Duan. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Duan immigration records

Draft Card

There are 465 military records available for the last name Duan. For the veterans among your Duan ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Duan military records

You've only scratched the surface of Duan family history.

Discover More

Duan Life Expectancy

What is the average Duan lifespan?

Between 1971 and 2004, in the United States, Duan life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1999, and highest in 1992. The average life expectancy for Duan in 1971 was 49, and 72 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Duan

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Duan ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

Famous Duan Family Ancestors

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in your family tree

Famous ancestors img
Look up another name