Canaan

KAY-nan

Biblical place name, Hebrew

"The Promised Land; humble, low"

Canaan Origin and Meaning

The name Canaan is a boy's name meaning "The Promised Land; humble, low".

Pronounced KAY-nan, this Old Testament place name has a strong modern feel that blends in with on-trend choices like Carter, Colton, and Kayson, but also with Ezekiel, Jeremiah, and Tobias. Associated in the Bible with "The Promised Land", it is also the name of one of Noah's grandsons.

The actual meaning of Canaan is disputed, with some scholars suggesting it simply means "lowland", while others believe the name refers to the "lowness and humbleness" that faith requires.

Canaan entered the US Top 1000 in 2015, peaked in 2016 when it reached #667, then fell back down the rankings, disappearing from the popularity charts in 2023. It is still given to nearly 200 babies each year however, suggesting that it could easily return to the Top 1000 in years to come.

Canaan Rank in US Top 1000

# 957 in the US

Canaan Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 1531 on Nameberry

Canaan Popularity

• 957 US 2022
• 1531 Nameberry 2024
• 108 Unique 2023
• 513 Future 2028

20 Names Similar to Canaan

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Canaan.

• Zion
• Moriah
• Judah
• Zair
• Nazareth
• Shiloh
• Abilene
• Banner
• Ariel
• Marah
• Carmel
• Jericho
• Samaria
• Cayden
• Keilah
• Hezekiah
• Genesis
• Avri
• Rudy
• Tova

Famous People Named Canaan

• Canaan son of Ham, grandson of Noah (1 Chr. 1:8)
• Canaan Sodindo Banana 1st President of Zimbabwe
• Canaan Lee Smith American Country music singer
• K'naan stage name of Keinan Abdi Warsame, Somali,Canadian rapper

Canaan in Pop Culture

• "Canaan " anime series and its female main character
• Canaan character in the Xenosaga video game series
• Canaan one of the formal names given to "the promised land" held for the nation of Israel in the Old Testament of the Bible