Yan surname originated from Zhuang surname, which is one of the typical surnames in southern China. History of the Eastern Han Dynasty, for fear of Liu Zhuang, changed his surname to Yan. Take Yan Ji as the ancestor. During the Wei and Jin Dynasties, some Yan surnames were Zhuang surnames, so they were called "solemn families". The population of Yan surname is mostly in Hubei, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and other provinces, and the population of Yan surname in the three provinces accounts for more than half of the Han population in China.

Yan, the 27th of the hundred surnames. In 2007, the total population of Yan was more than 2.2 million, ranking 93rd in China. [1] In 2013 years, through the comprehensive analysis of China10.33 billion population surname database (2008-20 10), the China Surname Origin Research Center of China Fuxi Cultural Research Institute released the latest version of China's "Hundred Surnames" list.

Yan is a celebrity with literary talent and martial arts. Most of his China literati are in the name of benevolence, righteousness and filial piety. For example, in the Western Han Dynasty, there was a strict respect for reading Laozi, and in the Eastern Han Dynasty, there was a hermit Yan Guang. Military commanders include Yan Yan in the Three Kingdoms Period and Yanwu in the Tang Dynasty.