Canaan
- Gender
- Boy
- Origin
- Hebrew
- US rank, 2025
- #1,044 for boys
Canaan is a boys' name of Hebrew origin. In 2025 it ranked 1,044th for boys in the US (212 babies).
What does Canaan mean?
Hebrew
A male given name from Hebrew of biblical origin.
From Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Is Canaan a girl's or a boy's name?
Canaan is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 6 girls and 212 boys in the US.
How popular is Canaan in the UK?
No boys in the UK were given it in 2025, or too few to be listed. Its busiest year was 1999, with 7 boys.
Half of all the boys named Canaan in the UK since 1996 were born between 2002 and 2018. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier boys aren't counted.
Canaan in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 7 | #2,965 |
| 2022 | 0 | – |
| 2021 | 3 | #4,989 |
| 2020 | 5 | #3,502 |
| 2019 | 5 | #3,597 |
| 2018 | 5 | #3,596 |
| 2017 | 5 | #3,608 |
| 2016 | 6 | #3,241 |
| 2015 | 0 | – |
| 2014 | 6 | #3,125 |
| 2013 | 0 | – |
| 2012 | 0 | – |
| 2011 | 6 | #3,038 |
| 2010 | 3 | #4,865 |
| 2009 | 5 | #3,395 |
| 2008 | 5 | #3,305 |
| 2007 | 3 | #4,486 |
| 2006 | 7 | #2,386 |
| 2005 | 0 | – |
| 2004 | 0 | – |
| 2003 | 0 | – |
| 2002 | 3 | #3,325 |
| 2001 | 6 | #2,049 |
| 2000 | 0 | – |
| 1999 | 7 | #1,749 |
| 1998 | 4 | #2,531 |
| 1997 | 0 | – |
| 1996 | 5 | #2,094 |
How popular is Canaan in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 1,044th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 212 about 1 in 8,100 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steady down 21% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 212 boys in the US were named Canaan, making it the 1,044th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 950th. Its busiest year was 2016, with 385 boys. It first appears in the records in 1973. 6 girls were also named Canaan in 2025 (13,203rd for girls).
Half of all the boys named Canaan in the US since 1880 were born between 2004 and 2019, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 979 boys in the US were given Canaan or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #347, up from #1,044 for this spelling alone.
Canaan in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 212 | #1,044 |
| 2024 | 201 | #1,082 |
| 2023 | 190 | #1,111 |
| 2022 | 236 | #959 |
| 2021 | 236 | #954 |
| 2020 | 231 | #950 |
| 2019 | 265 | #845 |
| 2018 | 270 | #827 |
| 2017 | 318 | #745 |
| 2016 | 385 | #669 |
| 2015 | 285 | #806 |
| 2014 | 180 | #1,074 |
| 2013 | 149 | #1,203 |
| 2012 | 172 | #1,084 |
| 2011 | 159 | #1,136 |
| 2010 | 163 | #1,137 |
| 2009 | 146 | #1,226 |
| 2008 | 150 | #1,182 |
| 2007 | 137 | #1,277 |
| 2006 | 161 | #1,091 |
| 2005 | 126 | #1,252 |
| 2004 | 118 | #1,269 |
| 2003 | 119 | #1,223 |
| 2002 | 99 | #1,329 |
| 2001 | 108 | #1,228 |
| 2000 | 93 | #1,358 |
| 1999 | 79 | #1,454 |
| 1998 | 91 | #1,298 |
| 1997 | 87 | #1,307 |
| 1996 | 75 | #1,398 |
| 1995 | 52 | #1,701 |
| 1994 | 54 | #1,659 |
| 1993 | 58 | #1,549 |
| 1992 | 44 | #1,839 |
| 1991 | 43 | #1,817 |
| 1990 | 52 | #1,582 |
| 1989 | 26 | #2,463 |
| 1988 | 22 | #2,594 |
| 1987 | 27 | #2,165 |
| 1986 | 15 | #3,128 |
| 1985 | 16 | #2,939 |
| 1984 | 25 | #2,097 |
| 1983 | 34 | #1,686 |
| 1982 | 16 | #2,830 |
| 1981 | 21 | #2,337 |
| 1980 | 15 | #2,964 |
| 1979 | 14 | #3,017 |
| 1978 | 10 | #3,613 |
| 1977 | 19 | #2,361 |
| 1976 | 11 | #3,262 |
| 1975 | 10 | #3,426 |
| 1974 | 12 | #2,944 |
| 1973 | 6 | #4,503 |
Names like Canaan
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Finn, Ronan, Aiden, Kayden, Brody, Kian, Caelan, Conan, Rowan, Eden, Callan, Declan
Other spellings of Canaan
Names related to Canaan
More Hebrew names
Noah, Isabella, Elijah, James, Jack, Mia, Ava, Jude, Ezra, Benjamin, Isaac, Jacob, Ethan, Daniel, Samuel, Elias
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Canaan: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/canaan, updated 20 October 2026.