McCann
An Irish surname meaning “son of Cán,” a personal name associated with “wolf cub” or “whelp.”
The #983 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 8,720 Americans shares it.
Etymology
McCann comes from Gaelic Mac Canna or Mac Cáin, meaning “son of Cán” or “son of Canna,” depending on the spelling tradition behind the family line. The personal name is usually linked with a word for a young wolf or hound-like cub, so the surname is often explained as a patronymic from that older nickname or given name. Older sources also record several spelling forms, including MacCann and McKane, showing how the name shifted under English spelling conventions.
History
The surname is strongly associated with Ireland, especially in Ulster and neighboring areas, and it appears in historical records in several variant forms. 19th-century surname writers also noted MacCann in Manx records, which suggests some cross-channel movement or parallel spelling traditions. In the modern era McCann remains a fairly common Irish surname and is especially familiar in both Ireland and the Irish diaspora.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older record-keepers often wrote the same family name in several different ways, so McCann, MacCann, and McKane could all appear in the same broad historical trail.
From the historical record
“name ; cC Irish 0*Kane. In Manx records it is found as McKane (1408); MacCann (1430); Mac 155 (i6oz) ; Caine (1609) ; Cayne”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (alternate scan)Notable people named McCann
- Chuck McCann (1934–2018)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.