John, Canaan was a biblical person and also the name of a place. The following is from www.dictionary.com.

Canaan

(1.) The fourth son of Ham (Gen. 10:6). His descendants were under a curse in
consequence of the transgression of his father (9:22-27). His eldest son,
Zidon, was the father of the Sidonians and Phoenicians. He had eleven sons, who
were the founders of as many tribes (10:15-18).
(2.) The country which derived
its name from the preceding. The name as first used by the Phoenicians denoted
only the maritime plain on which Sidon was built. But in the time of Moses and
Joshua it denoted the whole country to the west of the Jordan and the Dead Sea
(Deut. 11:30). In Josh. 5:12 the LXX. read, "land of the Phoenicians," instead
of "land of Canaan." The name signifies "the lowlands," as distinguished from
the land of Gilead on the east of Jordan, which was a mountainous district. The
extent and boundaries of Canaan are fully set forth in different parts of
Scripture (Gen. 10:19; 17:8; Num. 13:29; 34:8). (See CANAANITES ¯T0000705,
PALESTINE.)