Contents [hide]

Cann History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Cann History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Cann is a name of ancient Norman origin. It arrived in England with the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Cann family lived in north Dorset and Cornwall area of England. The name is a reference to the family's tenure of residence in Caen, near Calvados, Normandy. The name is derived from the Old English word canne which literally means "a can or cup" but is used topographically to mean someone who lived in a hollow or deep valley. 1

Early Origins of the Cann family

The surname Cann was first found in north Dorset where Cann is a village and in 2001 had a population of 955. The Domesday Book lists Cann Orchard in what is now Cornwall, as land held by Aelfric, an undertenant of the Count of Mortain. At that time, there was land enough for two ploughs, two acres of woodland and ten acres of pasture. 2

Early History of the Cann family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cann research. Another 117 words (8 lines of text) covering the year 1100 is included under the topic Early Cann History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cann Spelling Variations

Endless spelling variations are a prevailing characteristic of Norman surnames. Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules, and the introduction of Norman French added an unfamiliar ingredient to the English linguistic stew. French and Latin, the languages of the court, also influenced spellings. Finally, Medieval scribes generally spelled words according to how they sounded, so one person was often referred to by different spellings in different documents. The name has been spelled Cann, Caen, Can and others.

Early Notables of the Cann family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Sir Robert Cann, conjecturally descended from King Henry 1st

Cann Ranking

In the United States, the name Cann is the 7,996^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3

Cann migration to the United States +

To escape the political and religious persecution within England at the time, many English families left for the various British colonies abroad. The voyage was extremely difficult, though, and the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving. But for those who made it, the trip was most often worth it. Many of the families who arrived went on to make valuable contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families reveals a number of immigrants bearing the name Cann or a variant listed above:

Cann Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Mr. Cann, who landed in Jamestown, Va in 1624 4
Robert Cann who settled in Virginia in 1637
Thomas Cann, who settled in Virginia in 1643
Tho Cann, who arrived in Virginia in 1643 4
John Cann and his wife Mary, settled in New Jersey in 1664
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Cann Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Rodrigo Cann, who arrived in America in 1817 4
Alex M Cann, aged 11, who arrived in Mobile, Ala in 1851 4
Ann Jane Cann, aged 6, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1851 4
Jane M Cann, aged 28, who arrived in Mobile, Ala in 1851 4
Mr. James Cann, (b. 1871), aged 22, Cornish miner, from Redruth, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "New York" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 13th May 1893 en route to Colorado, USA 5

Cann Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Mrs. Lizzie Cann, (b. 1884), aged 19, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "Philadelphia" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 29th August 1903 en route to Red Jacket, Michigan, USA 5
Mr. Oliver Cann, (b. 1871), aged 34, Cornish miner, from Camborne, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Celtic" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 24th September 1905 en route to Calumet, Michigan, USA 5
Mr. Edgar Cann, (b. 1891), aged 14, Cornish scholar travelling aboard the ship "New York" arriving at Ellis Island, New York in 1905 en route to Meriden, Connecticut, USA 5

Cann migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Cann Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

Mr. Arthur Cann, (b. 1883), aged 21, Cornish mason, from Bude, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Lucania" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 30th April 1904 en route to Toronto, Ontario, Canada 5

Cann migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Cann Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Thomas Cann, a leather-dresser, who arrived in Van Diemen’s Land (now Tasmania) sometime between 1825 and 1832
James Cann, a plasterer, who arrived in Van Diemen’s Land (now Tasmania) sometime between 1825 and 1832
Mr. John Cann who was convicted in Bideford, Devon, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Circassian" on 4th November 1832, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 6
Miss Jane Cann who was convicted in Devon, for 7 years, transported aboard the "Edward" on 23rd April 1834, arriving in Tasmania, (Van Diemen's Land) 7
John Cann, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "South Australian" in 1837 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Cann (post 1700) +

Howard Goodsell Cann (1895-1992), American sportsman, men's basketball coach at New York University, Olympic shot putter, inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1968
Ensign Tedford Harris Cann (1897-1963), American soldier awarded the Medal of Honor
William Cann, American politician, Farmer-Labor Candidate for Illinois State Senate 23rd District, 1922 9
Samuel J. Cann (b. 1954), American Democratic Party politician, Member of West Virginia State House of Delegates, 1995-2013; Member of West Virginia State Senate 12th District, 2013- 9
Mrs. Richard T. Cann, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Delaware, 1924 9
Margaret R. Cann, American politician, Candidate for U.S. Senator from Rhode Island, 1976 9
Carmine J. Cann (b. 1930), American Democratic Party politician, Member of West Virginia State House of Delegates from Harrison County, 1961-68 9
Abraham Cann (1794-1864), English wrestler, baptised at Colebrooke, near Crediton, on 2 Dec. 1794, son of Robert Cann, a farmer and a wrestler in Devonshire, and his wife, Mary 10
Sydney Thomas "Sid" Cann (1911-1996), English professional football defender and football manager
Jamie Charles Cann (1946-2001), English politician
... (Another 9 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Cann family +

Halifax Explosion

Mrs. Mary L. Cann (1867-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 11
Mr. Cyril Rupert Cann (1901-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 11

HMS Hood

Mr. Herbert R Cann (b. 1922), English Marine serving for the Royal Marine from Walthamstow, Essex, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 12

RMS Titanic

Mr. Ernest Charles Cann (d. 1912), aged 21, English Third Class passenger from Penwithick, Cornwall who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 13

The Cann Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Perimus licitis
Motto Translation: We perish by what is lawful.

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 8th February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/circassian
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th January 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/edward
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The SOUTH AUSTRALIAN 1837-1838. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1837SouthAustralian.htm
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 31 Oct. 2019
Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance
H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html