2000
#8,142
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,749
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.39
Rare Last name
Cann
An Irish toponymic surname derived from the Gaelic word "ceann," meaning "head" or "chief," likely referring to a headland.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,980 Americans carry the last name Cann. That puts it at #9,033 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 86,119 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cann 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Cann with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.0K
1 in 86,119
Census rank
#9,033
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,471 bearers of the surname Cann in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9033rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cann, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.0%. The next largest groups are Black (20.0%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cann
Among Census respondents with the surname Cann, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.0%. The next largest groups are Black (20.0%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Cann 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 Cann surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.0% · 2,464
- Black or African American20.0% · 693
- Two or more races4.4% · 154
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 124
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 30
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cann
Cann 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
#8,479
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,890
+141 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 1.32
Rank movement Down 337 places
2020
#9,033
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,471
-419 bearers (-10.8%)
Per 100,000 1.16
Rank movement Down 554 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,142 | 3,749 | 1.39 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,479 | 3,890 | 1.32 | +141 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 337 places |
| 2020 | #9,033 | 3,471 | 1.16 | -419 bearers (-10.8%) | Down 554 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 Cann 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 | #8,479 | #9,033 | -6.5% |
| Count | 3,890 | 3,471 | -10.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.32 | 1.16 | -12.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cann bearers went from 3,890 to 3,471 (-10.8% change). The surname moved down 554 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,479 to #9,033.
FAQ
Cann surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cann?
Name Census estimates that about 3,980 living Americans carry the surname Cann. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 86,119 residents.
How common is Cann?
Cann ranks #9,033 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.16 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,471 people with the surname Cann. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,980), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.16 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Cann.
Has Cann become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cann went from 3,890 recorded bearers to 3,471. That is a decrease of 419 (-10.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,479 to #9,033.
What does the Census say about the background of Cann?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cann, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.0%. The next largest groups are Black (20.0%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Cann in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.0% (2,464 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cann appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.0%), Black (20.0%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Cann (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 Cann mean?
An Irish toponymic surname derived from the Gaelic word "ceann," meaning "head" or "chief," likely referring to a headland. 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 Cann (1.16 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 Americans have the surname Cann?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.