In Genesis, Canaan was Noah’s grandson and the son of Ham. Genesis 9:18 identifies Canaan among Ham’s sons after the Flood narrative, alongside Cush, Mizraim, and Put.
Canaan is important in the biblical genealogies because the land and peoples associated with Canaan become central to later Israelite narratives. The name therefore appears both as a person’s name and as the name of a region in the ancient Near East.
A common confusion comes from the story in Genesis 9 involving Noah, Ham, and Canaan. The passage mentions Ham’s action and then records Noah’s declaration concerning Canaan, but it does not identify Canaan as one of Noah’s sons. Noah’s sons are Shem, Ham, and Japheth; Canaan is one generation below them.