Canon

Canon is an English word with several related meanings. Its history leads through Latin to Greek kanon, a rod or measuring rule, which developed the broader sense of a standard. In religious contexts, a canon can be a rule or a member of a cathedral’s clergy.

The arts use canon for an accepted body of works, and music uses the word for a composition in which one part imitates another. Those meanings give Canon several possible associations for a family interested in religion, literature, or music. The word differs from cannon, the weapon, despite their identical English sound. As a given name, Canon may also be connected with a family surname, but the direct word meanings remain a useful starting point.