In the Genesis account, Ham is named as the father of Canaan.
Genesis 9:18 identifies Noah’s three sons as Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and then states that Ham was the father of Canaan. The statement appears in the episode following Noah’s survival of the Flood, when the narrative shifts from the Ark to the family’s life after the waters recede.
The genealogy matters because Canaan becomes a major people and territory in later biblical history. Genesis does not identify Canaan as one of Noah’s sons; Canaan is Ham’s son. That distinction is the central fact behind this question.
Readers may confuse Ham with Canaan because both names appear in the same passage and because later biblical narratives discuss Canaan extensively. Shem, Ham, and Japheth are Noah’s sons, while Canaan is listed as Ham’s son. The text also names other descendants of Ham in subsequent genealogical material.