Kanon
Masculine · “rule”
Kanon is given to both — 1,524 boys and 164 girls since 1880. See other names given to both
Kanon is a Japanese name and also the Greek word for a rule — kanon gave English canon, cannon's near-twin, and the measuring rod behind both.
How old is the name Kanon?
Kanon first appears in US birth records in 1972 — 53 years ago. The typical Kanon is a kid of about 10 — this name's wave is very recent. About 1,500 people named Kanon are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Kanon most popular?
Kanon peaked in 2015, reaching #1369 nationally. Today it ranks #3757, 2,388 places below that high. See the whole 2015 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
The story of Kanon
Kanon began as a carpenter's straight rod in Greek and became the word for any standard — the canon of scripture is the measured list, and a musical canon is a piece built to a rule. Japanese Kanon is unconnected: it is a modern given name written with characters chosen by the family, frequently including those for flower and sound. Both lines reach American records.
Meaningscholars disagree
rule, measuring rod; or a Japanese name
Greek kanon was a straight rod used for measuring, and by extension a rule or standard; it gives English canon and the musical form. Japanese Kanon is a separate name whose meaning depends on the characters chosen, often including flower or sound. The two are unrelated.
Pronouncing Kanon
KAH-non
Two syllables, first stressed. Japanese gives both syllables even weight.
Nicknames for Kanon
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1972
- Most boys named
- 2015127 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1369reached in 2015
- Change vs 2024
- −31.0%29 in 2025, from 42
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Kanon in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Kanon in Japanese — same name
- Canon in English — related form
- Kanon in Greek — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: Texas, California, Louisiana.
Kanons among us
people named Kanon are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 58,899 born in 2025 was named Kanon
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Spellings of Kanon
- #3757
- Kanon on the 2025 chart
- #404
- counting every spelling
The SSA counts spellings, not names. Kanon went to 29 boys in 2025, but Cannon, Kannon and Canon are the same name said out loud. Together the 4 spellings went to 730, which makes it the 404th most-given boys’ name of the year — 3,353 places above the chart.
About 1 boy in 2,340 born in 2025 was given one of these spellings — against 1 in 58,899 for Kanon itself.
Spellings are grouped by a fixed rule that folds interchangeable English spellings of one sound (ck/k, ph/f, x/ks, a non-initial y for i) and keeps vowels apart, so Sean and Shawn stay separate names. It errs towards splitting: a family here is never larger than the truth. SSA national data, 2025. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Tyjuan test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Kanon's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Tyjuan climbed just as high around 1979, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Tyjuan's path sketches the road Kanon is walking now.
Kanon sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Kanon is headed
Kanon is easing off slowly — about 24% fewer babies a year by 2030 if the trend continues. Its history is short or jumpy, though, so read this as a sketch rather than a promise.
Low confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Kanon beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Kanon in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- Two genuine traditions stand behind it, Greek and Japanese.
- Five letters and two syllables, easy to write and to say.
- Open vowels make it readable in most languages.
- It sounds nearly identical to cannon, which will be noticed.
- A camera manufacturer shares the sound, which is a strong association.
- The Japanese meaning depends on characters a Roman spelling cannot carry.
Nobody names a baby alone.
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What they receive
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Kanon
Masculine · #3757 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Kanons are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,500 people named Kanon are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How do you spell Kanon?
- Kanon is one of 4 recorded spellings. Cannon is the more common one — 374 births in 2025 against 29 for Kanon.
- How popular is the name Kanon in 2025?
- Kanon ranks #3757 among US boy names in 2025, with 29 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Kanon?
- About 1 in every 58,899 US boys born in 2025 was named Kanon — 29 in all.
- Will my child share the name Kanon with classmates?
- Kanon will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Kanon
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Stanton#3757 · Reymundo#3757 · Greer#3757 · Zaven#3757 · Kelson#3757 · Javin#3757 · Faizan#3757 · Wilfred#3757
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Kanon? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Kanon and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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