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

Canon, 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 Canon surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Canon in America

Canon is the 11839th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Canon surname appeared 2,644 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 Canon.

We can also compare 2010 data for Canon 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 Canon

The surname Canon originates from England and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "canon," which means a clergyman who followed a set of religious rules or canons. The name was likely given to someone who lived near a cathedral or church where canons resided.

The earliest recorded instance of the surname Canon appears in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1190, where a Robert Canon is mentioned. The name also appears in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, listing a John le Canon.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, there are several mentions of places with names similar to Canon, such as Canunditon (modern-day Caunton, Nottinghamshire) and Canundie (modern-day Canons Ashby, Northamptonshire), suggesting a connection between the name and these locations.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Canon was John Canon, a 14th-century English clergyman and philosopher who served as Chancellor of the University of Oxford from 1356 to 1357.

Another prominent figure was Edmund Canon (c. 1500-1558), an English Benedictine monk and the last Prior of the Newnham Priory in Bedfordshire before its dissolution under King Henry VIII.

In the 16th century, Thomas Canon (c. 1509-1564) was an English Catholic priest and author who wrote several works on theology and religious philosophy.

William Canon (1609-1673) was an English clergyman and author who served as a chaplain to King Charles I and later became a canon of Windsor.

Additionally, Richard Canon (1653-1730) was an English mathematician and inventor who made significant contributions to the development of early calculating machines.

These examples illustrate the diverse historical figures who carried the surname Canon, often associated with religious or scholarly pursuits, reflecting the name's origins and connections to the clergy and academic institutions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Canon

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

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

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

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