The word "tan" comes from the Old French "tanner" — to tan (leather). The colour takes its name from the leather industry, which has used oak tannins for over 2,000 years. As a skin tone description, "tan" entered common usage in the 20th century to describe skin bronzed by sun exposure — a relatively modern association, as pale skin was traditionally considered more desirable in Western cultures.

Neutral, warm, and undemanding. Tan is the most universal of skin-adjacent neutrals — warm enough to be welcoming, pale enough to be non-threatening. As a background colour, it makes other colours appear richer. Associated with natural materials, sun-warmed skin, and the practical comfort of things that hide dirt well.

The social history of tanning as desirable (sun-bronzed skin) versus undesirable (field-worker's tan) has shifted dramatically over the 20th century. Coco Chanel's 1923 Riviera tan began a Western fashion for bronzed skin that reversed centuries of pale-skin preference. The Crayola crayon formerly called "Flesh" became "Peach," but "Tan" survived as a legitimate skin-tone crayon — one of many attempts to represent human diversity in basic art materials.