Explore the Family Name Cannon

The meaning of Cannon

1. Irish: Anglicized form of Ó Canann or Ó Canáin ‘descendant of Cano or Canán’. Occasionally, and in the Isle of Man, the surname derives from Mac Canann ‘son of Cano or Canán’, which in Ireland was Anglicized McCann or McConnon. See also Connon. The personal name is from Gaelic cano ‘wolf cub’, of which Canán is a diminutive. In Ulster Cannon may also be shortened from Ó Canannáin ‘descendant of Canannán’, a pet form (double diminutive) of the personal name. This was a cheiftan family in Donegal, and the name was particularly common there. 2. English: from Middle English canun ‘canon’ (Old Norman French canonie, canoine, from Late Latin canonicus). In medieval England this term denoted a clergyman living with others in a clergy house; the surname is mostly an occupational name for a servant in a house of canons, although it could also be a nickname or even a patronymic. 3. French: variant of Canon.

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

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

Based on the data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname "Cannon" saw a slight dip between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked 436th, but by 2010, it slipped to the 466th position, marking a decline of 6.88%. However, despite the drop in rank, the actual count of people with the "Cannon" surname increased from 67,923 in 2000 to 71,085 in 2010, showing an increase of 4.66%. The proportion per 100,000 of the population bearing the surname also declined slightly, from 25.18 in 2000 to 24.1 in 2010.

20002010Change
Rank#436#466-6.88%
Count67,92371,0854.66%
Proportion per 100k25.1824.1-4.29%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Cannon

The ethnicity data from the Decennial U.S. Census reveals some changes among those with the "Cannon" surname between 2000 and 2010. The percentage of individuals identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander increased from 0.38% to 0.50%, while those recognizing themselves as having two or more races rose from 1.60% to 2.26%. Among white individuals, there was a minor decrease from 72.24% to 69.78%. Similarly, the Hispanic representation witnessed a significant rise from 1.50% to 2.42%. The percentage of people identifying as Black also saw a modest increase from 23.73% to 24.50%. Meanwhile, the proportion of American Indian and Alaskan Native remained steady at 0.54%.

20002010Change
White72.24%69.78%-3.41%
Black23.73%24.5%3.24%
Hispanic1.5%2.42%61.33%
Two or More Races1.6%2.26%41.25%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.54%0.54%0%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.38%0.5%31.58%

Cannon ancestry composition

23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Cannon is British & Irish, which comprises 57.4% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (18.2%) and Eastern European (4.4%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Nigerian, Italian, Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean, and Spanish & Portuguese.

Ready to learn more about your ancestry? Get the most comprehensive ancestry breakdown on the market by taking our DNA test. Shop 23andMe

ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
British & Irish57.4%
French & German18.2%
Eastern European4.4%
Other20.0%
Cannon

Possible origins of the surname Cannon

Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.

Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Cannon have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Greater London, United Kingdom86.00%
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom85.80%
Glasgow City, United Kingdom85.70%
West Midlands, United Kingdom85.70%
Merseyside, United Kingdom85.60%

What Cannon haplogroups can tell you

Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.

The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Cannon is R-S660, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-S660 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include E-V13 and R-M405, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Patterson, Ward, Murray, Mason, Norton, Kelly, Kane, Hughes, Kelley, Cain.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Cannon surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

cannonPaternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343
Paternal Haplo Image

Your paternal lineage may be linked to Niall of the Nine Hostages

The spread of haplogroup R-M222 in northern Ireland and Scotland was likely aided by men like Niall of the Nine Hostages. Perhaps more myth than man, Niall is said to have been a King of Tara in northwestern Ireland in the late 4th century C.E. His name comes from a tale of nine hostages that he held from the regions he ruled over. Though the legendary stories of his life may have been invented hundreds of years after he died, genetic evidence suggests that the Uí Néill dynasty, whose name means "descendants of Niall," did in fact trace back to just one man who likely bore haplogroup R-M222, a branch of R-M269.The Uí Néill ruled to various degrees as kings of Ireland from the 7th to the 11th century C.E. In the highly patriarchal society of medieval Ireland, their status allowed them to have outsized numbers of children and spread their paternal lineage each generation. In fact, researchers have estimated that between 2 and 3 million men with roots in north-west Ireland are paternal-line descendants of Niall.

Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette

Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Cannon have in common?

Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.

Preferences

Cannon

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Cannon" Surname 40.7%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Cannon

Misophonia

When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.

"Cannon" Surname 26.5%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Cannon

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Cannon" Surname 24.8%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Cannon

Migraine

A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

"Cannon" Surname 18.8%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Cannon?

The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.

Disease variant frequency by ancestry

Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Cannon are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Y402H variant

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss among older adults. The disease results in damage to the central part of the retina (the macula), impairing vision needed for reading, driving, or even recognizing faces. The 23andMe Health + Ancestry DNA test includes the two most common variants associated with an increased risk of developing the condition: the Y402H variant in the CFH gene and the A69S variant in the ARMS2 gene. Learn more about Age-Related Macular Degeneration

British & Irish 62.1%

23andMe Users 57.2%