2000
#68,782
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 267
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.10
Very Rare Last name
Canyon
A surname referring to someone living near a deep ravine or gorge.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 353 Americans carry the last name Canyon. That puts it at #68,789 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 970,975 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Canyon 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.
Bearers in the US
353
1 in 970,975
Census rank
#68,789
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
308
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 308 bearers of the surname Canyon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 68789th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Canyon, the largest self-reported group is White at 30.2%. The next largest groups are Black (23.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (17.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Canyon
The surname Canyon originates from Spain, where it first appeared in the 13th century. It is derived from the Spanish word "cañón," which means "canyon" or "gorge." The name likely referred to someone who lived near or in a canyon.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Canyon can be found in the Spanish census records from the year 1285, where a family with the name "Cañon" is listed as residing in the region of Aragon.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in several medieval manuscripts from the Kingdom of Castile. One notable example is the "Libro de la Montería" (Book of the Hunt), written in 1342, which mentions a huntsman named Juan Cañon.
The name Canyon also has connections to various place names in Spain. For instance, the village of Cañón de Almadén in the province of Ciudad Real is believed to have been named after a family with the surname Canyon who lived in the area.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Canyon. One of the earliest was Pedro Cañon, a Spanish conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expedition to Mexico in the 16th century.
In the 17th century, Diego Cañon was a renowned Spanish sculptor known for his intricate woodcarvings in churches across Andalusia.
During the 19th century, Manuel Cañon (1800-1890) was a prominent Spanish politician and served as the mayor of Madrid from 1858 to 1860.
Another notable figure was María Cañon (1885-1963), a Spanish painter and one of the first women to be admitted to the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando in Madrid.
In more recent times, Enrique Cañon (1919-2005) was a respected Spanish architect who designed several iconic buildings in Madrid and Barcelona.
While the surname Canyon is primarily of Spanish origin, it has also been adopted by families in other parts of the world, particularly in Latin American countries with Spanish colonial histories.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Canyon
Among Census respondents with the surname Canyon, the largest self-reported group is White at 30.2%. The next largest groups are Black (23.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (17.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Canyon 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 Canyon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White30.2% · 93
- Black or African American23.4% · 72
- American Indian and Alaska Native17.2% · 53
- Hispanic or Latino10.4% · 32
- Asian and Pacific Islander9.4% · 29
- Two or more races9.4% · 29
Timeline
Historical Census data for Canyon
Canyon 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
#75,317
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 256
-11 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Down 6,535 places
2020
#68,789
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 308
+52 bearers (+20.3%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Up 6,528 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #68,782 | 267 | 0.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #75,317 | 256 | 0.09 | -11 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 6,535 places |
| 2020 | #68,789 | 308 | 0.10 | +52 bearers (+20.3%) | Up 6,528 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 Canyon 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 | #75,317 | #68,789 | 8.7% |
| Count | 256 | 308 | 20.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.09 | 0.10 | 14.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Canyon bearers went from 256 to 308 (+20.3% change). The surname moved up 6,528 positions in the national ranking, going from #75,317 to #68,789.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Canyon
FAQ
Canyon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Canyon?
Name Census estimates that about 353 living Americans carry the surname Canyon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 970,975 residents.
How common is Canyon?
Canyon ranks #68,789 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.10 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 308 people with the surname Canyon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (353), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.10 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Canyon.
Has Canyon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Canyon went from 256 recorded bearers to 308. That is an increase of 52 (+20.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #75,317 to #68,789.
What does the Census say about the background of Canyon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Canyon, the largest self-reported group is White at 30.2%. The next largest groups are Black (23.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (17.2%). 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 Canyon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 30.2% (93 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Canyon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (30.2%), Black (23.4%), American Indian/Alaska Native (17.2%). 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 Canyon (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 Canyon mean?
A surname referring to someone living near a deep ravine or gorge. 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 Canyon (0.10 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 share the surname Canyon?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.