Cane
A masculine name derived from the Latin word "canna", meaning reed or cane.
Name Census estimates that about 328 living Americans carry the first name Cane. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Cane today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Cane births was 2022 (27 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Cane. 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.
People living today
328
~ 1 in 1,044,983 Americans
Peak year
2022
27 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,502
Tracked since 1995
Popularity
Cane: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Cane from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 132 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Cane remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Cane 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 Cane during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Canes live
Origin
Meaning and history of Cane
The name Cane is of Latin origin, derived from the word "canna," which means "reed" or "cane." It is believed to have originated during the Roman era, possibly as a surname or nickname given to individuals who worked with reeds or lived near areas abundant with cane plants.
In ancient Rome, the name Cane may have been associated with the god Priapus, who was often depicted carrying a staff or cane made of reed. This connection could have contributed to the popularity of the name among Roman families.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Cane can be found in the writings of the Roman historian Livy, who mentioned a Roman soldier named Gaius Cane during his account of the Second Punic War (218-201 BC).
During the Middle Ages, the name Cane gained some popularity in certain regions of Europe, particularly in Italy and Spain. It was often used as a diminutive form of the name Canasius or Canetius, which were derived from the Latin word "canna."
In the 14th century, a notable figure named Cane della Scala (1291-1329) ruled as the Lord of Verona, Italy. He was a prominent member of the Della Scala family and played a significant role in the political and cultural affairs of his time.
Another historical figure bearing the name Cane was Cane Gusmano (1439-1503), an Italian jurist and legal scholar from Bologna. He was known for his contributions to the study of Roman law and authored several influential works on the subject.
In the realm of literature, the name Cane is associated with the Italian poet and writer Guido Cane (1824-1914), who was born in Piedmont. He is best known for his collection of poetic works titled "Poesie" (1886), which explored themes of nature and human emotions.
During the Renaissance period, the name Cane was occasionally used in artistic circles. One notable example is Cane da Pesaro (1459-1528), an Italian painter and architect from the Marche region, who was renowned for his frescoes and architectural designs.
While the name Cane has roots in ancient Roman culture, it has been adopted and used across various European regions over the centuries, appearing in historical records, literary works, and among notable figures from different eras.
People
Cane + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Cane 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
Cane: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Cane?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 328 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Cane 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 1,044,983 US residents.
Is Cane a common name?
We classify Cane as "Very Rare". It ranks above 80.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 331 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Cane most popular?
The single biggest year for Cane was 2022, when 27 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Cane is about 13 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Cane a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Cane 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.