Recent in Baby
When Baby Resists SolidsWhen Baby Resists SolidsBaby Biting TipsBaby Biting Tips5 Tips To Help Prevent Highchair Injuries5 Tips To Help Prevent Highchair InjuriesWhen Baby and Pet MeetWhen Baby and Pet MeetTreatments for ColicTreatments for ColicBaby Milestones – The First YearBaby Milestones – The First YearTips for Relieving Teething PainTips for Relieving Teething PainBenefits of Making Your Own Baby FoodBenefits of Making Your Own Baby Food

Home › Baby Names Directory › Canary

Canary

♀ Girl

Pronounced kuh-NAIR-ee /kəˈnɛər.i/High

Meaning: The English word for the small yellow songbird, itself named for the Canary Islands — which the Romans called Canaria, from canis, 'dog,' for the large dogs said to live there. As a given name it reads plainly as the bird, which we note honestly.Medium

In 30 seconds: A bright word name: Canary is the yellow songbird, named for the Canary Islands (said 'kuh-NAIR-ee'). It reads as the bird, which we note.
💕 Browse more names
Origin LowEnglish
MeaningThe English word for the small yellow songbird, itself named for the Canary Islands — which the Romans called Canaria, from canis, 'dog,' for the large dogs said to live there. As a given name it reads plainly as the bird, which we note honestly.
U.S. rank (2024)#13757 ↗ Rising
2024 U.S. births6 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)
Peak year1920
Total births (all-time)≈ 422

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 192019002024

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Canary is the English word for the yellow songbird, which took its name from the Canary Islands; the Romans in turn called them Canaria after the large dogs reported there. Used as a given name it is very rare and reads as the bird, which we note honestly. Sunny and bold (said 'kuh-NAIR-ee').

It appears only very rarely in U.S. data. Rare, word-bright, and unusual.

Did you know? The chain runs backwards from the bird: canaries are named for the Canary Islands, and the islands were named by the Romans for their dogs — canis, 'dog' — so a canary is, at root, a dog-island bird (said 'kuh-NAIR-ee').
Overall data confidence 42%
References — Canary — English bird word; Canary Islands, Latin Canaria

Variations

CanarieKanaryCannary

Nicknames

CanaRie

Famous Bearers

  • Famous bearers coming soon.

If you like Canary…

Birdie— a like bird-word name
Wren— a like songbird name
Lark— a like singing-bird word name
Victory— lands in the same popularity range
Theory— a fellow English choice

Explore names like Canary

By themeword-namenaturebirdunusual
By meaningGift / BlessingBirdTruth

All themes →All meanings →All origins →

Frequently Asked

What does the name Canary mean?

Canary is the English word for the yellow songbird, named after the Canary Islands. It reads as the bird, which we note.

How do you pronounce Canary?

It's said kuh-NAIR-ee /kəˈnɛər.i/ — three syllables, stress on the middle.

Is Canary a boy or girl name?

Canary is recorded here as a girl's name; it is chiefly a word rather than a traditional name.

How popular is Canary?

Canary is very rare as a given name in the U.S.

💬 Ask Nia