Cannon History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The Anglo-Saxon name Cannon comes from when the family resided in Hertfordshire where the name is derived from "canon, a member of an ecclesiastical order. There is a place called Canon, near Lisieux in Normandy." 1 The name may have also originated from the French, Canonne, a personal name. 2

The Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae listed Galfridus and Radulfus Canonicus or Le Chanoin of Normandy, 1180-95 and about the same time the Pipe Rolls listed Gilbert and Robert Canonicus in England in 1189. 3

Early Origins of the Cannon family

The surname Cannon was first found in Hertfordshire where "Cannon is an old name in this county, both at Nast Hyde in St. Peter's and at Clothall; there was a John Canon of Ware or Shenley in the time of Henry VI. In the 13th century the name occurred, usually in the form of Canon, in Oxfordshire, Hunts, Cambridgeshire, etc. " 4

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed John le Cannon, Oxfordshire and William le Canon as both holding lands that at that time. 5

John Canon or Canonicus (fl. 1329), was a schoolman who studied at Oxford, and became a member of the Franciscan order. "He is distinguished by the biographers for his eminence in philosophy, theology, and law, both canon and civil, and four books of commentaries on the 'Sentences' of Peter Lombard, some 'Lecturæ magistrales,' and 'Quæstiones disputatæ,' are ascribed to him. " 6

Hugh Canoun, or Hugh Canon (died c. 1317) was an English-born judge in early fourteenth-century Ireland. He was a justice of the Court of Common Pleas (Ireland) and served as Deputy Justiciar of Ireland. He hailed from he parish of Woodford, Somerset (now Nettlecombe.)

William Canynges (1399?-1474), was a "merchant of Bristol, third son of John Canynges, burgess and merchant of that city, and Joan Wotton his wife, came of a family that stood high among the merchants of Bristol, for the elder William Canynges, his grandfather, a wealthy cloth manufacturer, was six times mayor, and thrice a representative of the city in parliament.' 6

Early History of the Cannon family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cannon research. Another 183 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1300, 1456, 1663, 1697, 1707, 1708, 1722, 1827, 1862 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Cannon History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cannon Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Cannon has been recorded under many different variations, including Canning, Cannings, Cannyng, Caning, Canings, Canyng and many more.

Early Notables of the Cannon family

Distinguished members of the family include

Robert Cannon (1663-1722), Dean of Lincoln, born in London in 1663, educated at Eton and at King's College, Cambridge. "He held for a time a fellowship at King's College

Cannon World Ranking

In the United States, the name Cannon is the 373^rd most popular surname with an estimated 74,610 people with that name. 7 However, in Australia, the name Cannon is ranked the 730^th most popular surname with an estimated 5,323 people with that name. 8 And in the United Kingdom, the name Cannon is the 699^th popular surname with an estimated 9,577 people with that name. 9

Migration of the Cannon family to Ireland

Some of the Cannon family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cannon migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Cannon or a variant listed above:

Cannon Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Cannon, who arrived in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1621 aboard the ship "Fortune" 10
Edward and Ann Cannon who settled in Virginia in 1646
Edward Cannon, who arrived in Virginia in 1646 10
Joan Cannon, who landed in Virginia in 1649 10
Joane Cannon, who arrived in Virginia in 1652 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Cannon Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Margaret Cannon, who arrived in Virginia in 1701 10
Mary Cannon, who arrived in Virginia in 1706 10
Ellinor Cannon, who arrived in Virginia in 1706 10
Richard Cannon, who settled in Georgia in 1732 with his wife Mary, two sons, and a daughter
Richard Cannon, who arrived in Savanna(h), Georgia in 1733 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Cannon Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Cannon, who arrived in America in 1810 10
Patrick Cannon, who landed in New York, NY in 1811 10
Hugh Cannon, who landed in New York, NY in 1815 10
Bridget Cannon, who arrived in New York, NY in 1816 10
Moses Cannon, who arrived in New York, NY in 1816 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Cannon migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Cannon Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Thomas Cannon, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1749
William Cannon, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1749
Eleanor Cannon, who landed in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1749-1752
William Cannon, who arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1749-1752
Bridget Cannon, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Cannon Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Robert Cannon, who arrived in Canada in 1820

Cannon migration to Australia +

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

Cannon Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Cannon, English convict who was convicted in Worcester, Worcestershire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Baring" in April 1815, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 11
Mr. James Llewellin Cannon, English convict who was convicted in Bristol, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Baring" in December 1818, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 11
Mrs. Elizabeth Cannon, (Carman), (b. 1785), aged 38, Irish House keeper who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Brothers" on 20th November 1823, arriving in New South Wales, Australia and Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 12
Isaac Cannon, English convict from Middlesex, who was transported aboard the "Asia" on October 22nd, 1824, settling in New South Wales, Australia 13
John Cannon, a cartwright, who arrived in New South Wales, Australia sometime between 1825 and 1832
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Cannon migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Cannon Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

William Cannon, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
William Cannon, aged 27, a labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Martha Ridgeway" in 1840
Mr. William Cannon, (b. 1813), aged 27, British Labourer travelling from England aboard the ship "Martha Ridgway" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 14th November 1840 14
Mr. Thomas Cannon, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Zambesi" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 20th September 1863 15
Mary Cannon, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Ernestina" in 1865
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Cannon migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 16

Cannon Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

John Cannon, who settled in Barbados in 1660

Cannon Settlers in West Indies in the 18th Century

John Cannon, who settled in Jamaica in 1716

Contemporary Notables of the name Cannon (post 1700) +

Joseph D. Cannon, American politician, Candidate for U.S. Senator from New York, 1916 17
Steve Cannon (1935-2019), American writer and the founder of the cultural organization A Gathering of the Tribes
William Abb "Billy" Cannon (1937-2018), American football running back and tight end, inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008 and the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 1976
General John Kenneth Cannon (1892-1955), American Commanding General of the Tactical Air Command, Langley AFB, Virginia (1951-1954) 18
Major-General Peter Leo Cannon (1897-1962), American Adjutant-General of Rhode Island (1941-1945) 19
Lieutenant-General Robert Milchrist Cannon (1901-1976), American Deputy Commander in Chief US Army Pacific (1959-1961) 20
Dyan Cannon (b. 1937), American film and television actress, director, screenwriter, editor, and producer
Sarah Ophelia Colley Cannon (1912-1996), birth name of Minnie Pearl, American country comedienne who appeared at the Grand Ole Opry for more than 50 years (1940 to 1991)
Charles Albert Cannon (1892-1971), American President of the Cannon Mills Company from the 1920's to the 1960's
Tommy Wayne "T.C." Cannon (1946-1978), important Native American artist of the 20th century
... (Another 107 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Cannon family +

HMAS Sydney II

Mr. Lionel James Cannon (1914-1941), Australian Telegraphist from Subiaco, Western Australia, Australia, who sailed into battle aboard HMAS Sydney II and died in the sinking 21

HMS Dorsetshire

John Cannon, British aboard the HMS Dorsetshire (1945) when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he survived the sinking 22

HMS Royal Oak

Robert James Cannon (1915-1939), British Able Seaman with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died in the sinking 23

RMS Lusitania

Mr. Robert Henry Cannon, English Inspector from Kensington, Liverpool, England, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking and was recovered 24

The Cannon 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: Dum vigilio tutus
Motto Translation: While I watch I am safe.

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/baring
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 30th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/brothers
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Asia 1 voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1824 with 9 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1824
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, February 11) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2011, November 3) John Cannon. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Cannon/John_Kenneth/USA.html
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2011, November 3) Peter Cannon. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Cannon/Peter_Leo/USA.html
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2011, November 3) Robert Cannon. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Cannon/Robert_Milchrist/USA.html
HMAS Sydney II, Finding Sydney Foundation - Roll of Honour. (Retrieved 2014, April 24) . Retrieved from http://www.findingsydney.com/roll.asp
Force Z Survivors HMS Dorsetshire Crew List, (Retrieved 2018, February 13th), https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listdorsetshirecrew.html
Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/