Fan palm as a descriptive term can refer to any of several different kinds of palms

Arecaceae

Arecaceae or Palmae , are a family of flowering plants, the only family in the monocot order Arecales. There are roughly 202 currently known genera with around 2600 species, most of which are restricted to tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate climates...

 in various genera with leaves that are palmately (rather than pinnate

Pinnate

Pinnate is a term used to describe feather-like or multi-divided features arising from both sides of a common axis in plant or animal structures, and comes from the Latin word pinna meaning "feather", "wing", or "fin". A similar term is pectinate, which refers to a comb-like arrangement of parts...

ly) compound. Among these genera are:

• Bismarckia
  Bismarckia
  Bismarckia is a monotypic genus of flowering plant in the palm family endemic to western and northern Madagascar where they grow in open grassland. The genus is named for the first chancellor of the German Empire Otto von Bismarck and the epithet for its only species, Bismarckia nobilis, comes...
  
  
• Borassus
  Borassus
  Borassus is a genus of six species of fan palms, native to tropical regions of Africa, Asia and New Guinea. They are tall palms, capable of growing up to 30 m high. The leaves are long, fan-shaped, 2 to 3 m in length...
  
  
• Coccothrinax
  Coccothrinax
  Coccothrinax is a genus of palms in the Arecaceae family. There are more than 50 species described in the genus, plus many synonyms and sub-species. A new species has been described as recently as 2006. Many of the Coccothrinax have silver or thatch, or both, in their English common names...
  
  
• Copernicia
  Copernicia
  Copernicia is a genus of 24 species of palms, native to South America and the Caribbean. They are fan palms , with the leaves with a bare petiole terminating in a rounded fan of numerous leaflets...
  
  
• Hyphaene
  Hyphaene
  Hyphaene is a genus of eight species of palms which includes the Doum palm . They are unusual among palms in having regular naturally branched trunks; most other palms are single-stemmed from the ground.-References:*...
  
  
• Licuala
  Licuala
  Licuala is a genus of palms commonly found in tropical rainforests of southern Asia, New Guinea and the western Pacific Ocean islands. They are fan palms, with the leaves mostly circular in outline, sometimes undivided but more usually divided into wedge-shaped segments...
  
  
• Pritchardia
  Pritchardia
  The genus Pritchardia consists of between 24-40 species of fan palms found on tropical Pacific Ocean islands in Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Tuamotus, and Hawaii. The generic name honours William Thomas Pritchard , a British consul at Fiji.-Description:These palms vary in height, ranging from...
  
  
• Rhapidophyllum
• Rhapis
  Rhapis
  Rhapis is a genus of about 10 species of small palms native to southeastern Asia from southern Japan and southern China south to Thailand. The species are commonly known as Lady Palms....
  
  
• Sabal
  Sabal
  Sabal is a genus of New World palms, many of the species being known as palmetto. They are fan palms , with the leaves with a bare petiole terminating in a rounded fan of numerous leaflets; in some of the species, the leaflets are joined for up to half of their length...
  
  
• Thrinax
  Thrinax
  Thrinax is a genus in the palm family, native to the wider Caribbean. It is closely related to the genera Coccothrinax, Hemithrinax and Zombia. Flowers are small and bisexual, and are borne on small stalks....
  
  
• Trachycarpus
  Trachycarpus
  Trachycarpus is a genus of ten species of palms native to Asia, from the Himalaya east to eastern China. They are fan palms , with the leaves with a bare petiole terminating in a rounded fan of numerous leaflets. The leaf bases produce persistent fibers that often give the trunk a characteristic...
  
  
• Trithrinax
  Trithrinax
  Trithrinax is a genus of few flowering plants in the Arecaceae family, that belong to the Coryphoideae subfamily, a not very evolved lineage. The name is derived of ancient greek, where tri means three, and thrinax trident...
  
  

Fan palm can also be used as part of the common name of particular genera or species. Among the palms commonly known as fan palms are:

• Chamaerops
  Chamaerops
  Chamaerops is a genus of flowering plants in the family Arecaceae , comprising a single species Chamaerops humilis , representative of the Pre-Pliocene paleo-tropical ancestral lineages in the area.-Distribution:It is the only palm species native to continental Europe...
  
  (European fan palm)
• Hyphaene petersiana
  Hyphaene petersiana
  The Real fan palm , locally known as the Makalani palm, is a palm tree native to the subtropical, lowlying regions of south central Africa. They are found in open woodland, flood plains, banks of rivers and the fringes of pans and swamps.As with other Hyphaene spp., they are dioicous and the female...
  
  (Real fan palm)
• Livistona
  Livistona
  Livistona is a genus of 36 species of palms , native to southern and southeastern Asia, Australasia, and the Horn of Africa...
  
  (Chinese fan palm and others)
• Washingtonia
  Washingtonia
  Washingtonia is a genus of palms, native to the southwestern United States and northwest Mexico...
  
  (California fan palm, Mexican fan palm)
• Latania
  Latania
  Latania commonly known as Latan palm is a genus of flowering plant in the Arecaceae family.It contains the following species:* Latania loddigesii * Latania lontaroides...
  
  (Indian Ocean fan palms)

The Travellers palm

Travellers palm

Ravenala madagascariensis, commonly known as Traveller's Tree or Traveller's Palm, is a species of plant from Madagascar. It is not a true palm but a member of the bird-of-paradise family, Strelitziaceae...

(Ravenala madagascariensis) is often called a fan palm because of its distinctive shape; however it is not a true palm.