Canton
About Canton
More accessible than some of the more distant names in the atlas, Canton fits into the category of the no-nonsense, new-sounding boys' names many parents are looking at.
There are multiple places across the world called Canton, including a town in Ontario, Canada, a city district in Cardiff, Wales, a province in China (that's now typically called Guangdong), and a number of towns and cities in the US. As a word, a canton might refer to an administrative district; to a small community or clan; or to a rectangular emblem at the top left of a flag (i.e. the stars on the US flag). It likely originates from the Old French canton meaning "corner".
As of October 2026, Canton ranked #5241 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #3380 in 2015.
Editor's take: The name Canton is a boy's name meaning "corner, district, township".
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #3,546 | 30 | 15.6 |
| 2015 | #3,380 | 33 | 17.2 |
| 2016 | #3,895 | 27 | 14.2 |
| 2017 | #4,615 | 21 | 11.3 |
| 2018 | #4,498 | 22 | 12.1 |
| 2019 | #4,989 | 19 | 10.6 |
| 2020 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | — | 0 | 0 |
Similar names
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Canton in pop culture
- Canton
administrative district in Switzerland
- Canton
town in Ohio
- Canton Everett Delaware III
character in season 6 of BBC's Doctor Who