Cann last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Cann is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Cann.

Meaning of Cann

An Irish toponymic surname derived from the Gaelic word "ceann," meaning "head" or "chief," likely referring to a headland.

Cann, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Cann surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cann in America

Cann is the 8479th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cann surname appeared 3,890 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Cann.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cann to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 8479 8142 4.06%
Count 3,890 3,749 3.69%
Proportion per 100k 1.32 1.39 -5.17%

The history of the last name Cann

The surname Cann is believed to have originated in England, with records dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "canne," meaning a cup or vessel, suggesting that the name may have been an occupational surname for someone who made or sold cups or vessels.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, the earliest surviving public record, the name appears as "Canne," referring to a place name in Dorset. This suggests that the surname may have also been derived from a location, perhaps referring to someone who lived near a place with that name.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname is found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1190, where a William Canne is mentioned. Another early record is from the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, which lists a John Canne.

In the 14th century, the surname appeared in various spellings, including "Cann," "Kann," and "Canne." During this period, a Richard Canne was recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327.

Notable individuals with the surname Cann throughout history include John Canne (1590-1667), an English Puritan minister and scholar who published an annotated edition of the Bible known as the "Canne's Bible." Another prominent figure was Benjamin Canne (1638-1720), an English merchant and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Gloucester from 1695 to 1698.

In the 18th century, James Cann (1723-1793) was an English engraver and printmaker known for his landscapes and architectural prints. Thomas Canne (1745-1825) was an English Nonconformist minister and author who wrote on religious subjects.

Later, in the 19th century, William Cann (1801-1864) was a prominent English architect who designed several notable buildings in Bristol, including the Bristol Athenaeum and the Clifton Club.

Throughout its history, the surname Cann has also been associated with various place names, such as Cannington in Somerset, which may have influenced the surname's origins or spelling variations.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cann

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Cann.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Cann was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 73.60% 2,863
Non-Hispanic Black Only 17.74% 690
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 1.16% 45
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.41% 16
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 2.57% 100
Hispanic Origin 4.52% 176

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Cann has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 73.60% 76.15% -3.41%
Black 17.74% 18.40% -3.65%
Asian and Pacific Islander 1.16% 0.99% 15.81%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.41% 0.37% 10.26%
Two or More Races 2.57% 1.79% 35.78%
Hispanic 4.52% 2.29% 65.49%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Cann was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Cann, please contact us.

Reference this page

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"Cann last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/cann-surname-popularity/.

"Cann last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/cann-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 December, 2024

Cann last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/cann-surname-popularity/.

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