2000
#3,852
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,474
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.14
Rare Last name
Canady
Derived from a place name meaning "champion's estate" in French, or from the Middle English word "kennedy" meaning "misshapen head."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,897 Americans carry the last name Canady. That puts it at #3,990 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.89 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 34,632 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Canady surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
9.9K
1 in 34,632
Census rank
#3,990
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,631 bearers of the surname Canady in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.89 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3990th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Canady, the largest self-reported group is White at 46.7%. The next largest groups are Black (42.4%) and Two or More Races (5.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Canady
The surname Canady is believed to have originated in France during the Middle Ages. It is likely derived from the French word "caner," which means "to quack like a duck." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a nickname to someone who made a quacking sound or worked with ducks.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Canady can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land holdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appeared as "Canedi," with variations such as "Canady" and "Canedy" emerging later.
During the 13th century, the name Canady was prevalent in the region of Normandy, France. Historical records from this time period mention a Jean Canady, who was a prominent landowner in the village of Caen. Another notable figure was Robert Canady, a knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War (1337-1453) between England and France.
As the name spread across Europe, it became associated with several place names. For instance, the village of Canady in Gloucestershire, England, was believed to have been named after a family with this surname who settled in the area during the Norman conquest of England in the 11th century.
In the 16th century, a branch of the Canady family emigrated to the American colonies. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname in the New World was William Canady, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 and became a successful tobacco farmer.
Other notable individuals with the surname Canady include:
1. John Canady (1770-1856), an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Virginia.
2. Mary Canady (1822-1901), a pioneering American educator and founder of the Canady School for Girls in Mississippi.
3. Thomas Canady (1843-1919), a Union Army soldier during the American Civil War and recipient of the Medal of Honor.
4. Charles Canady (1954-), an American lawyer and politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Florida.
5. Jasmine Canady (1982-), an American professional basketball player who played in the WNBA for several teams.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Canady
Among Census respondents with the surname Canady, the largest self-reported group is White at 46.7%. The next largest groups are Black (42.4%) and Two or More Races (5.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Canady bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Canady surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White46.7% · 4,032
- Black or African American42.4% · 3,661
- Two or more races5.6% · 483
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 254
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 147
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 54
Timeline
Historical Census data for Canady
Canady appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#3,970
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,958
+484 bearers (+5.7%)
Per 100,000 3.04
Rank movement Down 118 places
2020
#3,990
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,631
-327 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 2.89
Rank movement Down 20 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,852 | 8,474 | 3.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,970 | 8,958 | 3.04 | +484 bearers (+5.7%) | Down 118 places |
| 2020 | #3,990 | 8,631 | 2.89 | -327 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 20 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Canady surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #3,970 | #3,990 | -0.5% |
| Count | 8,958 | 8,631 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 3.04 | 2.89 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Canady bearers went from 8,958 to 8,631 (-3.7% change). The surname moved down 20 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,970 to #3,990.
FAQ
Canady surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Canady?
Name Census estimates that about 9,897 living Americans carry the surname Canady. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 34,632 residents.
How common is Canady?
Canady ranks #3,990 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.89 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,631 people with the surname Canady. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,897), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.89 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.89 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Canady.
Has Canady become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Canady went from 8,958 recorded bearers to 8,631. That is a decrease of 327 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,970 to #3,990.
What does the Census say about the background of Canady?
Among Census respondents with the surname Canady, the largest self-reported group is White at 46.7%. The next largest groups are Black (42.4%) and Two or More Races (5.6%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Canady in the 2020 Census, accounting for 46.7% (4,032 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Canady appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (46.7%), Black (42.4%), Two or More Races (5.6%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Canady (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Canady mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "champion's estate" in French, or from the Middle English word "kennedy" meaning "misshapen head." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Canady (2.89 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Canady?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.