List of Famous people with last name Yan

Yan Yan, also known by his courtesy name Ziyou and as Yan You or Yanzi, was a prominent disciple of Confucius, considered by Confucius to be his most distinguished disciple in the study of the classics. A native of the state of Wu, he was the only known southerner among Confucius' disciples.

Martin Yan is a Chinese-American chef and food writer. He has hosted his award-winning PBS-TV cooking show Yan Can Cook since 1982.

Lü Yan is a Chinese fashion designer, supermodel, and actress. During her career as a model she worked with such labels as Dior, Gucci, Lanvin and Alexander McQueen before appearing on the cover of numerous fashion magazines including Marie Claire and i-D. Now retired from modelling, Lü is a fashion designer with her own label Comme Moi.

Xiong Yan is a China-born naturalized American. He was a dissident involved in Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. Xiong Yan studied at Beijing University Law School from 1986–1989. He came to the United States of America as a political refugee in 1992, and later became a chaplain in U.S. Army, serving in Iraq. Xiong Yan is the author of three books, and has earned six degrees.

Yan Yan was a military officer who served under Liu Zhang, the Governor of Yi Province, during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. Although there is very little information about Yan Yan in historical records, he is given a much prominent role in the 14th-century historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms as a general who initially serves under Liu Zhang before switching allegiance to Liu Bei later.

Liu Yan, courtesy name Bosheng (伯升), was a general of one of the major uprisings against the Xin Dynasty and its emperor, Wang Mang. Although he was militarily successful, he died early as a victim of political intrigue. His younger brother Liu Xiu, however, would eventually found the Eastern Han Dynasty.

Liang Yan is a Chinese volleyball player, who competed in the 1984 Summer Olympics.

Zhufu Yan was a Chinese politician who served as a high-ranking court official and advisor to Emperor Wu of Han. He proposed the Tui'en Ling, a decree that was meant to weaken the power of the feudal lords in China. The policy encouraged them to divide their territories among all their sons rather than pass their lands onto just the eldest son. The resulting fragmentation of the feudal lords' estates reduced their influence, making them less of a threat to the Emperor.

Chen Yan was a Chinese warlord in Fujian during the late Tang. He served as governor of the Fujian Circuit, headquartered in what is now Fuzhou.