An Irish and English surname the Cannon family name comes from the Middle English term of ‘canun’ and the Old French terms of ‘canonie’ and ‘canoine’. They refer to servants who live in a house of clergymen called canons.

Spelling variations for Cannon include O’Cannon, Cannen, McCannon, MacCannon and Cannin.

In England the Cannon name is mostly in London, Essex, Herefordshire, Yorkshire and Lancashire. In Scotland the Cannon name is in Midlothian, Kirkcudbrightshire, Renfrewshire and Lanarkshire. In Ireland the Cannon families are centered in Tirconnell.
The Cannon family name covers the eastern half of the United States with most in the states of South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Texas, Illinois, New York and Pennsylvania.

Famous: Billy Cannon (professional football player), Dyan Cannon (actress, director, screenwriter), James William Cannon (founder of Cannon Mills Corp.), John Cannon (race car driver from Canada), Martha Maria Hughes Cannon (first elected female state senator, elected in 1896), Nick Cannon (actor), Tommy Wayne Cannon (Native Indian artist) and Jimmy Cannon (early sports journalist).