# Kannan (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/kannan/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname originating as a patronymic.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | not recorded |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 1,553 |
| US rank (2010) | 17,980 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 198,806 people |
| Change since 2000 | +117% (717 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | not recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

Transliteration of Tamil கண்ணன் (kaṇṇaṉ) and Malayalam കണ്ണൻ (kaṇṇaṉ).

## Who carries it

Share of people named Kannan in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 7.9% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 0.3% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 0.4% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 90% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.5% |
| Two or more races | 1.5% |

## Similar surnames

Kanaan, Kinnan, Keenan, Kenyon, Kennon, Kinman, Kamin, Kinyon, Kamen, Konen, Keenum, Koenen.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.