Canan
A feminine name meaning "rose flower" in Turkish.
Name Census estimates that about 73 living Americans carry the first name Canan. It is a predominantly male name (93.2% of registrations). The average person named Canan today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Canan births was 2018 (15 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Canan. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Canan. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
73
~ 1 in 4,695,265 Americans
Peak year
2018
15 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,400
Tracked since 1980
Gender
Gender distribution for Canan
Canan leans heavily male at 93.2% of total registrations, but 5 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Canan as a male name
- Ranked #8,400 in 2024
- 9 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2018 (15 births)
Canan as a female name
- Ranked #10,590 in 1980
- 5 female births in 1980
- Peak: 1980 (5 births)
Popularity
Canan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Canan from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 33 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Canan remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Canan by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Canan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Canan
The name Canan has its origins in the Turkish language, where it is a variant of the more common name Canan. The name itself is derived from the Persian word "cân," which means "life" or "soul." It is believed to have been introduced to the Turkish culture during the Ottoman Empire's reign, which lasted from the 13th to the early 20th century.
In Turkish culture, the name Canan is traditionally associated with beauty, grace, and charm. It is often given to girls as a way to express a wish for them to have a vibrant and joyful life. The name has been in use for centuries and has been borne by many notable figures throughout history.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Canan can be found in the works of the renowned 13th-century Persian poet, Rumi. In his poetry, Rumi often used the name Canan as a symbolic representation of the divine beloved or the soul's longing for spiritual union.
In the 16th century, Canan was the name of a famous Ottoman princess, the daughter of Sultan Selim II. She was known for her intelligence, artistic talents, and philanthropic endeavors, and her name became associated with cultural refinement and nobility.
Another prominent figure who bore the name Canan was Canan Arifoglu (1917-1999), a Turkish painter and writer. She was a pioneering figure in the modern art scene of Turkey and was renowned for her vivid and expressive paintings that captured the essence of Turkish culture.
In the world of literature, Canan Tan (1936-2011) was a celebrated Turkish novelist and short story writer. Her works explored themes of love, identity, and the complexities of human relationships, and she was widely regarded as one of the most influential voices in contemporary Turkish literature.
The name Canan has also been borne by several notable figures in the field of music. Canan Ergüder (1938-2013) was a renowned Turkish singer and actress, known for her powerful vocals and captivating stage presence. She was a beloved cultural icon in Turkey and helped to popularize Turkish folk music on a global scale.
While the name Canan has its roots in Turkish and Persian cultures, it has since been adopted and used in various parts of the world, particularly in regions with significant Turkish or Middle Eastern communities. Its enduring popularity is a testament to its beautiful meaning and rich cultural heritage.
People
Canan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Canan as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Canan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Canan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 73 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Canan going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 4,695,265 US residents.
Is Canan a common name?
We classify Canan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 60% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 74 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Canan most popular?
The single biggest year for Canan was 2018, when 15 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Canan is about 13 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Canan a male name?
Yes, 93.2% of people registered as Canan in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.