Yuan (surname)

Yuan
Family name
The character "Yuan", in small seal style, adapted from the 2nd century Yuan An stele
Pronunciation	Yuán (Mandarin) Yuen (Cantonese) Oan (Hokkien) Wang (Teochew) Viên (Vietnamese) Won (Korean)
Meaning	Name of a noble family of the ancient state of Chen
Region of origin	China
Language(s) of origin	Chinese

Yuan (, Mandarin pronunciation: [ɥɛ̌n]) is a Chinese surname ranked 37th in China by population. In Standard Chinese, the surname is transliterated Yuán (hanyu pinyin) or Yüen²" (Wade-Giles). Other romanizations include Yeu (Shanghainese), Ion (Chang-Du Gan), Yuen (Cantonese), Oan (Hokkien/Min Nan), Wang (Teochew), Won (Korean), and Viên (Vietnamese).Pronunciation differs widely from region to region.

According to tradition, the surname originated from a noble family of the ancient state of Chen, in what is now eastern Henan province. The written form of the character took its current standardised form around the 1st century. During the Han Dynasty, it was associated with the powerful Yuan clan of Ru'nan and later during Jin and Southern Dynasties, with the Yuan clan of Chen.