Tan Tock Seng (Chinese: 陳篤生; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tân Tok-seng; 1798 – 24 February 1850) was a Malacca-born merchant and philanthropist from Singapore.

[1] He left for Singapore in 1819 at the age of 21, the same year Stamford Raffles established a trading base on the island under the British East India Company.

[2][3] Tan made a living by selling vegetables, fruits, fish and other produce in the newly-built city center and eventually earned enough to open a store at Boat Quay in 1827.

Tan owned 50 acres (200,000 m²) near the Tanjong Pagar railway station, disjointed land parcels from the Padang leading up to High Street and Tank Road, several Ellenborough Building shophouses, and even a fruit plantation.

[4] The founding of Thian Hock Keng temple was led by Tan for the Hokkien community and still exists at Telok Ayer Street today.