ESC Name Rank Total Searching... No names found Try searching for: Emma, Liam, Olivia, Noah... 👦As Boy Name 1973 First Year 2026 Last Year 2016 Peak Year #668 Peak Rank 6K Total Count 54 Years Active 👧As Girl Name 1980 First Year 2023 Last Year 2010 Peak Year #6640 Peak Rank 318 Total Count 34 Years Active Advertisement 🌍 ## Meaning & Origin of Canaan What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures. Canaan was an ancient Semitic-speaking civilization and region of the Southern Levant during the late 2nd millennium BC. Canaan had significant geopolitical importance in the Late Bronze Age Amarna Period as the area where the spheres of interest of the Egyptian, Hittite, Mitanni, and Assyrian Empires converged or overlapped. Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canaan) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canaan) ### Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name) * Biblical 📜Etymology See also: Names of the Levant 🏛️Origin & history The Levant was inhabited by people who referred to the land as ka-na-na-um as early as the mid-third millennium BC. The Akkadian word " kinahhu " referred to the purple-coloured wool, dyed from the Murex molluscs of the coast—which was a key export of the region. When the ancient Greeks later traded with the Canaanites, this meaning of the word seems to have predominated, as they referred to the Canaanites as Phoenikes (Φοίνικες; Phoenicians ), which may derive from the Greek-language word " phoenix " (φοίνιξ; translation"}\]\],"parts":\[{"template":{"target":{"wt":"Translation","href":"./ [![Wikipedia thumbnail for Canaan](https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e3/A_dictionary_of_the_Bible.._%281887%29_%2814781539332%29.jpg/330px-A_dictionary_of_the_Bible.._%281887%29_%2814781539332%29.jpg?utm_source=en.wikipedia.org&utm_campaign=api&utm_content=thumbnail)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canaan) 📖 ## The Story of Canaan ### As a girl name The earliest SSA record of Canaan as a girl name dates back to 1980, when 5 babies received it. 2010 was its biggest year on record, with 19 newborns named Canaan — #6,640 in the national rankings. The 2010s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 32% of all recorded Canaans. Its most recent appearance in the national data came in 2023 (10 births); the name has since faded from the published rankings. In total, more than 318 Canaans have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1980s through the 2020s. ### As a boy name American parents first put Canaan on the record books as a boy name in 1973, with 6 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 2016, when 385 Canaans were born — ranking #668 that year. The 2010s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 39% of all recorded Canaans. In the latest 2026 data it stands at #1,135 among boy names with 189 births, falling sharply (-24%). In total, more than 6K Canaans have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1970s through the 2020s. ## Popularity Over Time Girls Boys ## Popularity by State 👧 Girls 👦 Boys ME WA MT ND MN WI MI NY VT NH MA OR ID SD IA IL IN OH PA NJ CT RI CA NV WY NE MO KY WV VA MD DE DC UT CO KS AR TN NC SC AK AZ NM OK LA MS AL GA HI TX FL Top 10 11-50 51-100 101-500 500+ No data 🎶 ## Names that sound like Canaan Phonetically similar names — useful when Canaan is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * [Canan](/canan) * [Kanan](/kanan) * [Kanon](/kanon) * [Cainan](/cainan) * [Kainan](/kainan) * [Canin](/canin) * [Cannon](/cannon) * Canine * [Canon](/canon) * [Conan](/conan) * [Keenan](/keenan) * [Cayman](/cayman) Source: [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated. ❓ ## Frequently Asked Questions about Canaan What does the name Canaan mean? Canaan was an ancient Semitic-speaking civilization and region of the Southern Levant during the late 2nd millennium BC. Canaan had significant geopolitical importance in the Late Bronze Age Amarna Period as the area where the spheres of interest of the Egyptian, Hittite, Mitanni, and Assyrian Empires converged or overlapped. What is the origin of the name Canaan? Canaan has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: Biblical. How popular is Canaan in 2026? In 2026, Canaan ranks #1,135 among boys' names in the U.S., with 189 babies given the name that year. When was Canaan most popular? Canaan reached its peak popularity in 2016, ranking #668 that year with 385 babies given the name. In which U.S. states is Canaan most popular? Canaan has historically been most popular in West Virginia, Kentucky, Alabama. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Canaan. Is Canaan a unisex name? Yes — Canaan is used for both girls and boys in U.S. records, with about 5% of Canaans assigned female and 95% assigned male historically. What names go well with Canaan? Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Canaan include Theadore, Ruth, Delton. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data. ## Similar Names ### 👦 Similar Boy Names [👦TheadorePeak #668](/theadore)[👦RuthPeak #668](/ruth)[👦DeltonPeak #668](/delton)[👦LandryPeak #668](/landry) ### 👧 Similar Girl Names [👧AdriePeak #6640](/adrie)[👧KoreenaPeak #6640](/koreena)[👧TamerraPeak #6640](/tamerra)[👧SophinaPeak #6640](/sophina) Advertisement ## About the name Canaan Canaan is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1973 and has accumulated 6K births in the dataset. Canaan's peak popularity came in 2016 when it ranked #668\. Use the chart and map above to compare Canaan's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices. ### Continue exploring * [ Top names of 2016 → ](/year/2016) * [ Names of the 2010s → ](/decade/2010s) * [ Names starting with "C" → ](/letter/c) * [ Browse all boy names → ](/names/boys) * [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026) * [ Browse unisex names → ](/names/unisex) Data sources * Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. [Social Security Administration ](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/). Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships. * Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — [Behind the Name ](https://www.behindthename.com/) (used under their public API terms). * Meaning prose and editorial summary — [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/) article extracts, licensed under [CC BY-SA 3.0 ](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/). * Predicted nationality distribution — [Nationalize.io ](https://nationalize.io/). * Phonetically similar names — [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides. Advertisement