2000
#436
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 67,923
First available Census row
Per 100,000 25.18
Uncommon Last name
Cannon
An occupational surname referring to a maker or user of cannons or guns.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 78,024 Americans carry the last name Cannon. That puts it at #480 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 22.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 4,393 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cannon surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Cannon with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
78K
1 in 4,393
Census rank
#480
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
22.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
68K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 68,041 bearers of the surname Cannon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 22.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 480th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cannon, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.4%. The next largest groups are Black (23.6%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cannon
The surname Cannon is of English origin, deriving from the Old English words "cann" and "canne," which referred to a vessel or container for liquids. The name first emerged in the 12th century and was likely an occupational name for someone who made or sold cans or containers.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, compiled by order of William the Conqueror, there are several references to individuals with the surname Cannon or variations such as Canun and Canunn. These early records indicate that the name was already established in various parts of England by the late 11th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1191, which mention a William Cannon. Another early bearer of the name was John Cannon, who was recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275.
The surname Cannon is also closely associated with several notable historical figures. One such figure was Thomas Cannon (1509-1570), an English churchman and academic who served as the Master of the Free School in Coventry and later became a canon of Windsor.
Another prominent individual with this surname was Richard Cannon (1779-1865), an English composer and organist who served as the Master of the Children of the Chapel Royal and was known for his church music compositions.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded bearers of the surname Cannon was William Cannon, who was born in 1609 in Somerset, England, and later emigrated to Virginia in the 1630s. His descendants went on to become prominent citizens in various parts of the country.
Other notable individuals with the surname Cannon include Annie Jump Cannon (1863-1941), an American astronomer who cataloged hundreds of thousands of stars and developed a system for classifying stellar spectra, and Walter Bradford Cannon (1871-1945), an American physiologist who conducted pioneering research on the human stress response and introduced the concept of homeostasis.
Throughout history, the surname Cannon has also been associated with various place names, such as Cannon Street in London and Cannon Hill Park in Birmingham, England. These place names likely originated from individuals with the surname Cannon who once lived or worked in those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cannon
Among Census respondents with the surname Cannon, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.4%. The next largest groups are Black (23.6%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Cannon bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Cannon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White67.4% · 45,844
- Black or African American23.6% · 16,052
- Two or more races4.4% · 3,016
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 2,359
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 420
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 350
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cannon
Cannon appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#466
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 71,085
+3,162 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 24.10
Rank movement Down 30 places
2020
#480
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 68,041
-3,044 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 22.76
Rank movement Down 14 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #436 | 67,923 | 25.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #466 | 71,085 | 24.10 | +3,162 bearers (+4.7%) | Down 30 places |
| 2020 | #480 | 68,041 | 22.76 | -3,044 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 14 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Cannon surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #466 | #480 | -3.0% |
| Count | 71,085 | 68,041 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 24.10 | 22.76 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cannon bearers went from 71,085 to 68,041 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 14 positions in the national ranking, going from #466 to #480.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Cannon
FAQ
Cannon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cannon?
Name Census estimates that about 78,024 living Americans carry the surname Cannon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 4,393 residents.
How common is Cannon?
Cannon ranks #480 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 22.76 per 100,000 residents, which is about 23 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 68,041 people with the surname Cannon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (78,024), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 22.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 22.76 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 23 of them to have the surname Cannon.
Has Cannon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cannon went from 71,085 recorded bearers to 68,041. That is a decrease of 3,044 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #466 to #480.
What does the Census say about the background of Cannon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cannon, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.4%. The next largest groups are Black (23.6%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Cannon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.4% (45,844 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cannon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (67.4%), Black (23.6%), Two or More Races (4.4%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Cannon (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Cannon mean?
An occupational surname referring to a maker or user of cannons or guns. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Cannon (22.76 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Cannon?
You can see how many people have the last name Cannon on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.