Canton
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- KAN-tun
- Origin
- English
- US rank, 2025
- #5,207 for boys
Canton is a boys' name of English origin. In 2025 it ranked 5,207th for boys in the US (18 babies).
What does Canton mean?
English: place name, as in Canton, Ohio
Canton was the old Western name for Guangzhou in China, and was later given to towns such as Canton, Ohio.
Is Canton a girl's or a boy's name?
Canton is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 18 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Canton in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 5,207th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 18 about 1 in 95,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Falling down 26% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 18 boys in the US were named Canton, making it the 5,207th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 5,447th. Its busiest year was 2015, with 33 boys. It first appears in the records in 1988.
2025 had more boys named Canton than any year since 2019.
Half of all the boys named Canton in the US since 1880 were born between 2006 and 2017, the years shaded on the chart below.
Canton in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 18 | #5,207 |
| 2024 | 12 | #6,827 |
| 2023 | 12 | #6,892 |
| 2022 | 14 | #6,141 |
| 2021 | 17 | #5,333 |
| 2020 | 16 | #5,447 |
| 2019 | 19 | #4,947 |
| 2018 | 22 | #4,472 |
| 2017 | 21 | #4,590 |
| 2016 | 27 | #3,882 |
| 2015 | 33 | #3,364 |
| 2014 | 30 | #3,530 |
| 2013 | 31 | #3,403 |
| 2012 | 19 | #4,857 |
| 2011 | 29 | #3,604 |
| 2010 | 14 | #6,032 |
| 2009 | 22 | #4,427 |
| 2008 | 21 | #4,537 |
| 2007 | 22 | #4,373 |
| 2006 | 7 | #9,579 |
| 2005 | 16 | #5,029 |
| 2004 | 17 | #4,788 |
| 2003 | 20 | #4,109 |
| 2002 | 5 | #10,660 |
| 2001 | 13 | #5,383 |
| 2000 | 7 | #8,202 |
| 1999 | 11 | #5,650 |
| 1998 | 7 | #7,553 |
| 1997 | 5 | #9,259 |
| 1996 | 5 | #9,008 |
| 1995 | 0 | – |
| 1994 | 6 | #7,764 |
| 1993 | 7 | #6,809 |
| 1992 | 0 | – |
| 1991 | 0 | – |
| 1990 | 8 | #5,816 |
| 1989 | 0 | – |
| 1988 | 5 | #7,264 |
Names like Canton
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Colson, Hudson, Easton, Cannon, Colton, Stetson, Deacon, Boston, Jackson, Kingston, Mason, Dawson
Names related to Canton
More English names
Lily, Evelyn, Ivy, Harper, Grace, Violet, Willow, Daisy, Poppy, Riley, Oakley, Cooper, Ruby, Hallie, Hazel, Carter
Sources
Figures from 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, “Canton: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/canton, updated 20 October 2026.