Cann
A surname with two main roots: in England it is often locational, while in Ireland it can be a shortened form of Mac Cann.
The #8,479 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 79,369 Americans shares it.
Etymology
In English records, Cann is explained as a locational surname, referring to someone who came from a place called Cann, especially the parish in Dorset. The place-name itself is older than the surname and is the likely source for many English bearers. In Irish use, however, Cann can also be connected with Mac Cann, a Gaelic surname meaning "son of Cann" or "son of Cánn," with the personal name underlying it treated as a byname or old given name.
History
Bardsley notes early forms such as Richard de Canne in the 13th century and says the name was familiar in Devon as well as tied to Dorset. Lower likewise lists Cann as a parish-based surname. In Ireland, the surname is associated with the Mac Cann chiefs of Hy Breasil, and some modern Cann families may descend from shortened or anglicized Mac Cann forms. Because both English and Irish explanations are plausible, the surname’s history is regionally mixed.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same spelling can point to two different surname histories: a Dorset place-name in England or an anglicized Irish Mac Cann line.
From the historical record
“CANEY. Probably the same as Cheyney. CANN. A parish of Dorset. CANNING. Probably from Cannings, CO. "Wilts, (Bishop's Cannings). The two viscounts, Canning and Stratford de Red- cliffe, are descended from W. Cannynges, the pious founder of St. Mary Redclifife, Bristol, in the XV. cent. CANNON. A canon, a member of…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom