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Canny Family History

Canny Name Meaning

Irish: either a shortened variant of McCann or of McCanny which is an Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Annaidh ‘son of Annadh’ (a personal name of uncertain meaning). In their Anglicized forms the two surnames were confused. Irish: from Ó Caithniadh ‘son of Caithnia’ a personal name meaning ‘battle champion’ Anglicized as Caheny or Canny. Scottish and northern English: nickname from northern Modern English canny Older Scots cannie ‘shrewd prudent cunning clever’. English (of Norman origin): perhaps a variant of Caney . English: perhaps a variant pronunciation of Canner .

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: Cann, Canty, Craney, Cannan, Denny, Carney, Cagney, Canney, Cain

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Canny family from?

You can see how Canny families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Canny family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Canny families were found in USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 10 Canny families living in Nova Scotia. This was about 34% of all the recorded Canny's in Canada. Nova Scotia had the highest population of Canny families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Canny surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Canny ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer and House Work were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Canny. 26% of Canny men worked as a Laborer and 15% of Canny women worked as a House Work. Some less common occupations for Americans named Canny were Clerk and Laundress. .

View Census Data for Canny | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

United States shown, Canada data unavailable

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Laborer
    26%
  • Farmer
    23%
  • Salesman
    12%
  • Clerk
    9%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • House Work
    15%
  • Housewife
    15%
  • Maid
    15%
  • Laundress
    10%
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What Canny family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 11,000 census records available for the last name Canny. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Canny census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Canny

Passenger Lists

There are 2,000 immigration records available for the last name Canny. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Canny immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 1,000 military records available for the last name Canny. For the veterans among your Canny ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Canny military records

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What is the average Canny lifespan?

Between 1962 and 2004, in the United States, Canny life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1998, and highest in 1999. The average life expectancy for Canny in 1962 was 69, and 77 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Canny

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