boy's name
Canaan
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 6,390
Canaan is a boy's name with 2 syllables. In 2025 it was given to 218 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
- Peaked in 2016, when 385 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 15,208 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1973.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Canaan over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1970s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1970s | 82 |
| 1980s | 238 |
| 1990s | 709 |
| 2000s | 1,355 |
| 2010s | 2,449 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 1,334 |
How popular is Canaan?
In 2025, Canaan was given to 218 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Canaan is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Canaan
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Canaan also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Canaan over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Sibling names for Canaan
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Canaan — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Canaan
How popular is the name Canaan?
In 2025, Canaan was given to 218 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Is Canaan a girl's or a boy's name?
Canaan is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Canaan?
Canaan has 2 syllables.
When was Canaan most popular?
Canaan peaked in 2016, when 385 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
Is Canaan a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Canaan currently ranks #1,045 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.