Kan (surname)
Kan is a surname of multiple origins. == Origins == As a Chinese surname, Kan may be a spelling of the pronunciation in different varieties of Chinese of the following surnames, listed based on their Pinyin spelling (which reflects the Mandarin Chinese pronunciation): Kàn (traditional Chinese: 闞; simplified Chinese: 阚) Gān (Chinese: 甘 or 干), spelled Kan in the older Wade–Giles romanisation Jiǎn (traditional Chinese: 簡; simplified Chinese: 简), spelled Kan based on its Cantonese (Jyutping: Gaan2; Cantonese Yale: Gaán; IPA: /kɑːn³⁵/) or Hokkien (Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Kán) pronunciation Jìn (Chinese: 靳), spelled Kan based on its Cantonese pronunciation (Jyutping: Gan3; Cantonese Yale: Gan; IPA: /kɐn³³) The Dutch surname Kan originated both as an occupational surname for a potter or pewterer (from Middle Dutch kan, 'tankard', 'flagon', 'pitcher'), and as a reduced form of van de Kan, possibly a toponymic surname referring to De Kan in Veurne.