Cannon
A masculine name derived from a cylindrical artillery weapon.
Name Census estimates that about 10,664 living Americans carry the first name Cannon. It is a predominantly male name (97.9% of registrations). The average person named Cannon today is around 14 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Cannon births was 2021 (594 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Cannon. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Although Cannon is used almost entirely for boys, the SSA data does show 229 girls registered with the name since 1880.
- • Cannon is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 14 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
11K
~ 1 in 32,141 Americans
Peak year
2021
594 babies that year
Average age
14
years old
2024 SSA rank
#765
Tracked since 1904
Census
Cannon in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 7,966 people with the first name Cannon, which placed it at #2,881 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#2,881
National first-name rank
People counted
8.0K
7,966 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
2.6
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
79.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cannon
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Cannon is White at 79.6%. The next largest groups are Black (7.8%) and Two or More Races (5.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Cannon described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Cannon at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.6% · 6,339
- Black or African American7.8% · 625
- Two or more races5.9% · 468
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 403
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 84
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 47
Gender
Gender distribution for Cannon
Cannon leans heavily male at 97.9% of total registrations, but 229 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Cannon as a male name
- Ranked #765 in 2024
- 331 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2021 (580 births)
Cannon as a female name
- Ranked #13,758 in 2024
- 6 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2016 (17 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Cannon leans strongly male. 7,716 people counted with this name were male (96.9%), compared with 247 female bearers (3.1%).
Popularity
Cannon: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Cannon from the 1900s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 5,084 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Cannon remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Cannon by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Cannon during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Cannons live
The SSA's state-level files cover 41 states and territories. Texas, California, Tennessee recorded the most babies named Cannon, while New Mexico, North Dakota, Alaska recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 218 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Cannon
The name Cannon is an English name derived from the Old French word "canon," meaning a large, cylindrical piece of artillery used for firing projectiles. Its origins can be traced back to the late 13th century when the use of cannons in warfare became more prevalent in Europe.
The name likely gained popularity during the age of exploration and colonization when cannons played a crucial role in naval warfare and the conquest of new territories. It may have been initially used as a surname for individuals involved in the manufacturing or operation of cannons, but over time, it transitioned into a given name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Cannon dates back to the 16th century. In 1586, Cannon Brome, an English clergyman and theologian, was born in Herefordshire, England. He later became the rector of Hartlebury in Worcestershire and published several theological works.
In the 18th century, Cannon Ravenscroft (1696-1756) was a prominent English clergyman and author. He served as the Bishop of Gloucester and published works on religious subjects, including a translation of the New Testament.
During the American Revolutionary War, Cannon Guyer (1761-1848) was a notable figure. He served as a private in the Continental Army and participated in several crucial battles, including the Battle of Monmouth and the Siege of Yorktown.
In the 19th century, Cannon Schmitt (1835-1904) was a German-American businessman and philanthropist. He founded the Schmitt Music Company in Minneapolis, which became one of the largest music publishing and instrument companies in the Midwest.
Another notable figure was Cannon Townsend (1887-1973), an American lawyer and politician. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Delaware's at-large congressional district from 1925 to 1937.
While the name Cannon may not have been widely popular throughout history, it has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including clergymen, soldiers, businessmen, and politicians. The name's association with artillery and warfare has likely contributed to its enduring legacy and unique historical significance.
People
Cannon + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Cannon as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Cannon: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Cannon?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10,664 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Cannon going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 32,141 US residents.
Is Cannon a common name?
We classify Cannon as "Uncommon". It ranks above 97.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10,831 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Cannon most popular?
The single biggest year for Cannon was 2021, when 594 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Cannon is about 14 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Cannon in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 7,966 people with the name Cannon, or 2.64 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #2,881 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Cannon in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Cannon?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Cannon leans strongly male. 7,716 people counted with this name were male (96.9%), compared with 247 female bearers (3.1%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Cannon?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Cannon is White at 79.6%. The next largest groups are Black (7.8%) and Two or More Races (5.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Cannon most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Cannon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.6% (6,339 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Cannon in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Cannon a male name?
Yes, 97.9% of people registered as Cannon in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Cannon still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Cannon in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Cannon can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people share the name Cannon?
Find out how many Americans are named Cannon on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.