Fun Facts About the Name Cana
- 676 babies named Cana: U.S. records list 676 babies given the name Cana from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Cana Mean?
Cana is known first as a biblical place name, and its meaning is uncertain. The New Testament Greek form is Κανά (Kana), Latinized as Cana. Proposed explanations derive it from a Semitic word for "reed" (Hebrew qāneh), giving a sense like "place of reeds," or from Aramaic qenā, "nest." Other suggestions connect it with the Hebrew root qānā, "to acquire," but that link is speculative. No derivation has been confirmed, so the etymology of the place name remains unresolved.
As a personal name, Cana has more than one unrelated source. In English it is used in reference to the Gospel village and has no separate etymology of its own. In Turkish, Cana is a feminine name built from can, "soul, life" (a word borrowed into Turkish from Persian jān), with the dative ending -a. Literally it means "to the soul," and it is also used as an affectionate form of address. The English and Turkish uses are independent and should not be treated as a single derivation.
Cana Name History & Origins
Cana appears in the Gospel of John as a village in Galilee. John 2:1 - 11 sets the wedding feast where Jesus turned water into wine at "Cana of Galilee"; the same Gospel calls Nathanael "of Cana in Galilee" (21:2) and places the healing of a royal official's son there (4:46 - 54). The other three Gospels do not mention the place. Its exact location was already uncertain in later tradition, and several Galilean sites have been proposed, among them Khirbet Qana and Kafr Kanna; no identification has been settled. The Greek Κανά passed into Latin and then into English as Cana. The name stayed in Christian memory largely through the wedding story, which was long read in connection with marriage.
Use of Cana as a personal name is uncommon. In English it follows the biblical place name. In Turkish, Cana is a separate given name formed from can, "soul, life," and is unrelated to the Galilean village.
How Popular is the Name Cana?
Cana has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 1999. Its best rank was #3,582 in 1999.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #5,754 | 21 | 0.0013% |
| 2024 | #5,458 | 23 | 0.0014% |
| 2023 | #7,717 | 14 | 0.0009% |
| 2022 | #8,122 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 2021 | #6,741 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 2020 | #5,895 | 20 | 0.0012% |
| 2019 | #6,472 | 18 | 0.0011% |
| 2018 | #12,744 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2017 | #5,698 | 22 | 0.0013% |
| 2016 | #7,321 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2015 | #10,282 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2014 | #5,653 | 23 | 0.0013% |
| 2013 | #7,834 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 2012 | #6,384 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 2011 | #7,177 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 2010 | #7,599 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2009 | #7,747 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2008 | #6,855 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 2007 | #6,874 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 2006 | #6,410 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 2005 | #6,884 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2004 | #7,141 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2003 | #5,856 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 2002 | #4,404 | 28 | 0.0016% |
| 2001 | #5,614 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 2000 | #7,237 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1999 | #3,582 | 34 | 0.0019% |
| 1998 | #5,611 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 1997 | #8,453 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1996 | #6,777 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1995 | #8,180 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1994 | #6,026 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1993 | #7,575 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1992 | #7,593 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1991 | #13,466 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1990 | #11,622 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1989 | #7,523 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1987 | #8,904 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1986 | #5,809 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1982 | #6,420 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1981 | #7,487 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1980 | #9,237 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1979 | #7,399 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1977 | #6,415 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 1975 | #8,110 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1973 | #7,533 | 6 | 0.0004% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Cana Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are cheerful and friendly, but are apt to have an emotional life. You like to have several lines of effort going at once. You are a good talker and promoter and seldom worry over anything. At times, you can be impatient, and impulsive. You have the ability to bring an idea to completion. You can express yourself joyously and constructively. You might be psychic, but not know it. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You are always looking for a chance to do your own thing, to be your own person, and to have things done your own way.
✦ Cana's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Cana's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.