Explore the Family Name Canaan

The meaning of Canaan

1. Jewish (American and Israeli): modern Hebrew name from Canaan, the name of the promised land in the Bible. See also Kanaan. 2. Irish: variant of Cannon.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Canaan in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Canaan has seen a rise in its popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, the surname was ranked 33,563rd and by 2010, it had jumped to 31,383rd, marking a 6.5% increase in rank. The number of people with the Canaan surname also rose from 641 in 2000 to 738 in 2010, a significant 15.13% growth. Further, the proportion per 100k people saw a minor increment of 4.17%, moving from 0.24 in 2000 to 0.25 in 2010.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#33,563	#31,383	6.5%
Count	641	738	15.13%
Proportion per 100k	0.24	0.25	4.17%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Canaan

In terms of ethnicity, the data from the Decennial U.S. Census suggests a shift within the Canaan surname bearers. In 2000, the ethnic identity predominantly identified as White (77.85%), followed by Hispanic (16.38%), Black (4.37%), and a small percentage identifying as Two or more races (0.78%). No individuals identified as Asian/Pacific Islander or American Indian and Alaskan Native. However, by 2010, there were changes observed. The portion identifying as White had reduced to 72.09%, a decline of approximately 7.40%. The Hispanic representation increased by a significant 29.06%, reaching 21.14%. Those identifying as Black decreased slightly to 4.20%. Notably, in 2010, some individuals started identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander (1.08%), while there were none who identified as Two or more races or American Indian and Alaskan Native.

	2000	2010	Change
White	77.85%	72.09%	-7.4%
Hispanic	16.38%	21.14%	29.06%
Black	4.37%	4.2%	-3.89%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0%	1.08%	0%
Two or More Races	0.78%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%