Due to a Tamil tradition of using patronymic surnames, it may also be a surname for males and females.
The name is derived from the Hindu god Krishna, who is offered the epithet of Kannan in Tamil, meaning, "the one who is to be seen".
[1] The word Kannan might come from the Pali into Tamil during the classical period.
In Pali, Kanha means dark or black, and the Sanskrit equivalent will be Kṛṣṇa (Krishna).
In Tamil-speaking regions, Lord Krishna is called as Kanna(or with a masculine ending Kannan).