Meaning & Origin
Kannon, the Japanese version of Guanyin, the Chinese translation of Avalokiteśvara, the bodhisattva of mercy and compassion.
Kannon is a boy's and girl's baby name of Japanese origin, from the Japanese name for Kanzeon or Guanyin, the Buddhist bodhisattva of mercy and compassion, meaning "perceiving the sounds of the world." Kannon is one of the most widely worshipped deities in East Asian Buddhism.
Kannon is a creative variant of the name Canon or Cannon, with the Japanese spelling giving it an additional layer of Buddhist spiritual meaning. It has grown in American usage as a distinctive name that bridges Western surname-name energy with East Asian spiritual tradition.