Kannon

Meaning: Possibly wolf cub
Origin: Irish surname — Possibly a spelling of Cannon, which it has followed in use since the 1990s

Meaning: Perceiving the sounds of the world
Origin: Japanese — Also the name of the bodhisattva of compassion, Guanyin in Chinese

Boy's name · #904 in the US (2025) · 2020s wave

Popularity over time

Kannon's best rank, #539, came in 2020; it has settled back to #904 today. Roughly 6,000 boys have been named Kannon since 1972.

Across the states

In recent years, Kannon ran about 4× its national rate in Mississippi and Louisiana.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 32 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

See how Kannon ranks in other countries and regions.

#2,921 in Canada (2023) · #7,727 in Ecuador (2009).

Famous Kannons

Kannon Shanmugam — American attorney (born 1972)

In stories & tradition

Kannon — Bosatsu

Spellings & nicknames

Together with its spelling variants Cannon (#722) and Canon (#2211), Kannon would rank around #448 with about 700 births last year — the newborns split about 53/38/9 across Cannon, Kannon, and Canon.

Similar names: Ishaan · Canaan · Zen · Aizen · Kaito · Ronin

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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