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

Cannan, 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 Cannan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cannan in America

Cannan is the 31285th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cannan surname appeared 741 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Cannan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cannan 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.

The history of the last name Cannan

The surname Cannan is of Anglo-Saxon origin, deriving from the Old English words 'cana' meaning a can or cup and 'mann' meaning man, thus signifying a maker or seller of cans or cups. The name is believed to have originated in the regions of East Anglia and Essex in England, where the trade of metalworking was prevalent during the Medieval period.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Cannan can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from the year 1195, where a certain Robert Cannan is mentioned as a taxpayer. The Cannan family is also referenced in the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk from 1327, indicating their presence in the region during the 14th century.

In the 16th century, the Cannan name appears in various records, including the Parish Registers of Dedham, Essex, where a Robert Cannan was baptized in 1589. The Visitation of Essex in 1634 also mentions a Robert Cannan, a resident of Dedham, who bore the family's coat of arms featuring three silver cups on a blue field.

Notable individuals bearing the Cannan surname include John Cannan (1600-1676), a prominent merchant and landowner in Dedham, Essex, who served as a Justice of the Peace. Another early bearer of the name was William Cannan (1650-1721), a renowned clockmaker from Colchester, Essex, whose intricate timepieces were highly sought after by the gentry of the time.

In the 19th century, Edwin Cannan (1861-1935) was a renowned British economist and historian who taught at the University of London and authored several influential works on economic theory and history. His contemporary, Charles Cannan (1863-1935), was a respected English lawyer and legal scholar who served as the Secretary of the Chancery Bar Association.

One of the most notable figures with the Cannan surname was Gilbert Cannan (1884-1955), a British novelist and playwright whose works often explored themes of social satire and unconventional relationships. His novel, "Mendel: A Story of Youth," published in 1916, was considered a groundbreaking work in its depiction of homosexuality.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cannan

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

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 Cannan was:

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 Cannan has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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 Cannan was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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