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Canny Family History

Canny Surname 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


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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 1891 there were 15 Canny families living in London. This was about 24% of all the recorded Canny's in United Kingdom. London had the highest population of Canny families in 1891.
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 1939, Agricultural Labourer and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Canny. 100% of Canny men worked as an Agricultural Labourer and 67% of Canny women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties.

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.

Top Male Occupations In 1939

  • Agricultural Labourer
    100%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    67%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    20%
  • Domestic Servant
    14%

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 UK 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 the UK, 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

You've only scratched the surface of Canny family history

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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

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Canny ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

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