boys' name ★ peaked 2022

Kanan

Gender Boy · 1% girls Rank 2025 #1,109 Trend ↑ Rising 55%
Rank 2025
#1,109
among boys · ↑27 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
194
named Kanan · +4% vs 2024
How common
1 in 8,805
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2022
225 babies
All-time total
1,820
#3,515 all-time among boys
First recorded
1982
in Social Security records

Kanan popularity over time

1,820 babies have been named Kanan since 1982, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.040.080.110.1518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – – – – – –
1920s – – – – – –
1930s – – – – – –
1940s – – – – – –
1950s – – – – – –
1960s – – – – – –
1970s – – – – – –
1980s 5 – 5 1 – –
1990s – 77 77 8 +1440% #4,286
2000s 6 112 118 12 +53% #4,602
2010s – 553 553 55 +369% #1,190
2020s (to 2025) – 1,067 1,067 178 +222% #993

Where Kanan is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 207 0.12 outside top 500
2027 218 0.13 outside top 500
2028 228 0.13 outside top 500
2029 237 0.14 outside top 500
2030 245 0.14 outside top 500

Where Kanan is most popular

Boys named Kanan per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.112 per 1,000. Strongest in Louisiana, South Carolina, and Mississippi.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Kanan born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Louisiana 42 0.411 +267%
South Carolina 33 0.319 +186%
Mississippi 17 0.299 +168%
Alabama 21 0.192 +72%
North Carolina 47 0.184 +65%
Georgia 44 0.174 +55%
Tennessee 28 0.155 +39%
Michigan 31 0.151 +35%
Indiana 23 0.143 +28%
Ohio 37 0.140 +25%
Kentucky 13 0.130 +16%
Florida 59 0.125 +12%
Virginia 23 0.121 +8%
Missouri 15 0.108 ≈ national
Texas 94 0.107 -5%
Pennsylvania 26 0.098 -12%
Colorado 12 0.093 -17%
Nevada 5 0.088 -22%
California 79 0.086 -23%
Maryland 10 0.084 -25%
Arkansas 5 0.079 -29%
Illinois 19 0.074 -33%
Kansas 5 0.073 -35%
Washington 11 0.067 -40%
New York 29 0.067 -40%
Minnesota 6 0.049 -56%
Arizona 6 0.037 -67%
Alaska – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maine – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Kanan

Kanan is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #1,109 in 2025 with 194 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1982, 1,820 American babies have been named Kanan. Its peak came in 2022, when 225 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2020s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Kanan stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Kanan?

The median living Kanan is about 4 years old; half are between 2 and 8. An estimated 1,800 people named Kanan are alive in the United States today.

median 4 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Kanan year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 194 #1,109
2024 – – 186 #1,136
2023 – – 198 #1,085
2022 – – 225 #993
2021 – – 162 #1,199
2020 – – 102 #1,595
2019 – – 128 #1,391
2018 – – 160 #1,190
2017 – – 102 #1,589
2016 – – 67 #2,102
2015 – – 39 #3,000
2014 – – 10 #7,851
2013 – – 8 #9,227
2012 – – 17 #5,378
2011 – – 10 #7,792
2010 – – 12 #6,897
2009 – – 17 #5,429
2008 – – 14 #6,259
2007 – – 11 #7,349
2006 – – 20 #4,602
2005 – – 9 #7,990
2004 6 #15,059 10 #7,274
2003 – – 12 #6,062
2002 – – 11 #6,315
2001 – – – –
2000 – – 8 #7,827
1995 – – 10 #5,707
1990 – – – –
1985 – – – –
1980 – – – –
1975 – – – –
1970 – – – –
1965 – – – –
1960 – – – –
1955 – – – –
1950 – – – –
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Kanan

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Kanan Devi Kanan Devi Indian singer and actress (1916–1992) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Kanan, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Kanan?

The median living Kanan is about 4 years old. Half of all living Kanans are between 2 and 8 years old.

How many people named Kanan are alive today?

An estimated 1,800 people named Kanan are alive in the United States, based on 1,820 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Kanan in 2025?

Kanan ranked #1,109 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 194 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Kanan?

1,820 babies have been named Kanan in the United States since 1982, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Kanan most popular?

Kanan peaked in 2022, when 225 newborns received the name.

Is Kanan a boy or girl name?

Kanan is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Kanan rising or falling?

Kanan is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Kanan become more popular?

Kanan is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 245 boys named Kanan in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Kanan?

Well-known people named Kanan include Kanan Devi (actor).

Names like Kanan

Names that sound and feel close to Kanan: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Kanan with similar names → More names starting with K →