The Cannon surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 71,085 people carried this name — #466 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 4,150 people counted. That is up 5% from 67,923 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Cannon surname

As an Irish surname, Anglicized from Ó Canann (“descendant of Cana”), Ó Canáin (“descendant of Canán”), from cana (“wolf cub”). Comparable to McCann, McConnon, Connon.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Cannon» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a name of office: ‘the Canon’.

An early record he cites: John le Cannon, Oxfordshire, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

His entry covers Cannon and Canon.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 158 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 49 births for the Cannon name in 1890.

They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 2,200 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Donegal, Leitrim, and Mayo.”

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born, 1890

Ulster 21
Connacht 20
Leinster 7
Munster 1

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

25 people named Cannon live in Switzerland.

They live in 4 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Zurich 11
Basel-Landschaft 6
Zug 5
Geneva 3

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 23 people named Cannon.

Most of them — 18 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 2 départements, most often Nord.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 18
Nord 4
Paris 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In the Nordic population registers

23 people named Cannon is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 23

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Cannon was found among the farmers of 2 counties.

It was most frequent in Hertfordshire: 54 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 185. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Hertfordshire 54
Somerset 9

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In Scotland’s registers today

Cannon was recorded 33 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 744th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 78. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

148 families named Cannon, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 829 people lived in those households, 5.6 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 5 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

South Carolina 34
North Carolina 29
Pennsylvania 26
Massachusetts 14
Maryland 14
New York 10
Virginia 10
Connecticut 8
Maine 3

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 233 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Cannon in American newspapers,
1898–1900.

Newspaper page from The Portland Daily Press carrying the name Cannon
The Portland Daily Press 1900-05-04
Newspaper page from The Anaconda Standard carrying the name Cannon
The Anaconda Standard 1898-02-10
Newspaper page from The Anaconda Standard carrying the name Cannon
The Anaconda Standard 1899-02-10

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 23,890 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Cannon in Australian newspapers,
1830s–2010s.

45,443 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Cannon. The most, 8,085, date from the 1930s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Queensland, at 1.6 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 14,177
Queensland 13,221
Victoria 10,807
Tasmania 3,157
Western Australia 2,211
South Australia 1,550
ACT (Canberra) 222
Northern Territory 13

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Cannon.

Who carried it

People named Cannon,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Joseph Cannon
    Joseph Cannon d. 1952 · politician
  • James Cannon d. 1849 · naval officer
  • Elizabeth Cannon d. 1706
  • John Cannon d. 1796
  • Margaret Cannon d. 1944
  • Elizabeth Owen d. 1824

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Cannon,
in the records of 9 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States6,924 records

6,924 records of the Cannon name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 2,377
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 1,459
  • Other U.S. records 3,088
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Shawn Glen Cannon

    Born 1946; from Flushing, New York. U.S. Army, attack helicopter pilot; died in an accident 1970 in Lam Dong, South Vietnam. Buried at Long Island National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record George E. Cannon

    Born 1912 in Washington. Enlisted 1942 at Los Angeles, California; mechanic. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1975, buried at Golden Gate National Cemetery, California.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Mary Cannon

    Arrived at New York in 1885 aboard the Wisconsin from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 20; matron. From Leitrim, Ireland.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 6,924 records for Cannon in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL) · New York State, Open NY (police and firefighter memorial rolls) · Ramsey County, Minnesota (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia1,262 records

1,262 records of the Cannon name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 508
  • Tasmanian Names Index 267
  • Other Australian records 487
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record George Cannon

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Mangles, sailing from London in 1835. Native of Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1845.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Thomas Cannon

    Died 1927 in Lefroy, Tasmania. Will registered in Tasmania in 1927.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Elizabeth Mary Cannon

    Born 1870 in Launceston, Tasmania. Married 1891 in Mersey, Tasmania, aged 20.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 1,262 records for Cannon in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Canada136 records

136 records of the Cannon name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 52
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 19
  • Other Canadian records 65
  1. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record Cato Cannon

    Left New York in 1783 aboard the Hope, bound for St Johns River, aged 40.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record John Cannon

    Came to Ontario in 1879 aboard the Quebec, landing at Quebec, bound for London, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Ella Reen Cannon

    Died 1960, aged 46; buried at St. Vital Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.

Showing 3 of 136 records for Cannon in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Emigration file, Gündlingen, 1883, Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Staatsarchiv Freiburg B 694/1 Nr. 1389 (CC BY 4.0); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

United Kingdom135 records

135 records of the Cannon name in the United Kingdom
  • Stirling Council burial records 83
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 36
  • Other British records 16
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record James Cannon

    Buried in 1907 at Ballengeich Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland, aged 52.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Henry John Cannon

    Will proved in 1934; of Swansea, Glamorgan.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record William Cannon

    Killed or died by 1920. Named in the Denny and Dunipace roll of honour (1920).

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain)

Showing 3 of 135 records for Cannon in the United Kingdom.

Counts: Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain) · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Ireland40 records

40 records of the Cannon name in Ireland County Galway graveyard records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Patrick Cannon

    Died 1881, aged 23; buried at Killimorday, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record William C. Cannon

    Died 1899, aged 35; buried at Killererin (Old), Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record James Cannon

    Died 1804, aged 60; buried at Derrybrien, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 40 records for Cannon in Ireland.

Counts: Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Netherlands22 records

22 records of the Cannon name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 16
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 4
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 2
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Michel Cannon

    Died 1893 in Rotterdam, aged 41.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Elisa Catherina Cannon

    Died 1876 in 's-Gravenhage, aged 76.

    Open Archives, Haags Gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 22 records for Cannon in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

New Zealand15 records

15 records of the Cannon name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 13
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record William Cannon

    Died 1976, aged 86; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Richard Cannon

    Buried in 1911 at Shortland Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 78.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 15 records for Cannon in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

France3 records

3 records of the Cannon name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Anny Jacqueline Marie Cannon

    Born 1945 in Haubourdin; died 1975 in Hallennes-lez-Haubourdin (Nord).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 1 of 3 records for Cannon in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Germany2 records

2 records of the Cannon name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Julius Cannon

    From Alt Damm. Reported missing in the Imperial Navy casualty list of 8 February 1916; then reported dead in the list of 3 June 1916.

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Showing 1 of 2 records for Cannon in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Cannon.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Cannon is.
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