Kanan is a distinctive choice, ranked #1322 in 2024. Your child is likely to be the only Kanan in their class.
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UK Rank 2024
#1322
US Rank #998
About the Name Kanan
Kanan is climbing rapidly up the charts, having climbed 613 places in just five years. Its best recorded rank was #1253 in 2019 — and current momentum suggests it could challenge that mark again. The name has been recorded in UK data since 2016.
Kanan is distinctive enough that your child will likely be the only one in both their class and their school — standing out on every register.
In the US it ranks even higher at #998, where it enjoys a particularly strong following.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the name Kanan
Unlikely. With around 20 UK babies named Kanan per year, your child will almost certainly be the only Kanan in his class, and possibly the only one in the whole school.
Kanan is currently rising in popularity in the UK, up 613 places over the last five years to #1322 in 2024. If this trend continues, it will become more common in classrooms over the next decade.
Kanan is more popular in the US (#998) than in the UK (#1322). Names with strong rankings in both countries tend to have broad cross-cultural appeal, working well for international families or those with ties to both nations.
Notable people named Kanan include: Kanan Karimov — Kanan Karimov is an Azerbaijani football manager and former player.; Muhamad Kanan — Muhamad Kanan is an Israeli Arab politician who served as a member of the Knesset for the United Arab List and the Arab National Party between 1999 and 2003.; Kanan Devi — Kanan Devi was an Indian actress and singer..
Kanan does not appear in the US top 1,000 baby names, making it a distinctively British choice — your child is unlikely to encounter American Kanans in the wild.
20
UK babies named Kanan (2024)
< 1
Expected classmates with this name (class of 28)
~0.0
In a school of 600
↑ 613 places
Rank change (last 5 years)
🏫 Who else is in the room?
In a typical UK class of 28, highlighted children share the name Kanan
Likely around 1 other Kanan in the class
UK Popularity (2016–2024)
Rank and birth count · ONS official data
US Popularity (2022–2022)
Rank · SSA official data
✨ Similar names to Kanan
Names with a similar style — each with their own classroom story
Muhamad Kanan is an Israeli Arab politician who served as a member of the Knesset for the United Arab List and the Arab National Party between 1999 and 2003.
Kanan Devi was an Indian actress and singer. She was among the early singing stars of Indian cinema, and is credited popularly as the first star of Bengali cinema.
Sean Kanan is an American actor, producer, author, and martial artist, best known for his portrayals of Mike Barnes (in The Karate Kid Part III and Cobra Kai), A. J.