2010
#134,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Alcanta
Derived from a place name referring to a bridge or a crossroads in Spain or Portugal.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Alcanta. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Alcanta surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Alcanta in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Alcanta, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 99.1%. The next largest groups are White (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Alcanta
The surname ALCANTA has its origins in Spain, with the earliest records of the name dating back to the 14th century. It is believed to be derived from the Spanish word "alcantara," which refers to a type of bridge or aqueduct. This suggests that the name may have originally been associated with someone who lived near or was responsible for maintaining such a structure.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in a document from the city of Seville, dated 1387, which mentions a certain Pedro Alcanta, a stonemason. It is possible that this individual or his ancestors may have been involved in the construction or maintenance of bridges or aqueducts in the region.
Another notable early record is a reference to a Juan de Alcanta in a land registry from the town of Cordoba, dated 1412. This suggests that the name had spread to other parts of Andalusia by the early 15th century.
The name Alcanta also appears in several historical manuscripts and chronicles from the 15th and 16th centuries, indicating that it was not an uncommon name during this period. One such reference is found in a text by the historian Prudencio de Sandoval, who mentions a soldier named Diego Alcanta who fought in the wars against the Moors in Granada in the late 15th century.
Among the more famous individuals with the surname Alcanta throughout history are:
1. Fray Juan de Alcanta (1499-1569), a Spanish friar and mystic who was canonized as a saint by the Catholic Church in 1622.
2. Alonso de Alcanta (c. 1520-1588), a Spanish explorer and conquistador who participated in the expeditions of Francisco Pizarro and the conquest of Peru.
3. Luisa de Alcanta (1584-1646), a Spanish nun and mystic who founded the Convent of the Immaculate Conception in Seville.
4. Pedro de Alcanta Herrera (1571-1648), a Spanish poet and playwright active during the Golden Age of Spanish literature.
5. Mariano Alcanta (1785-1853), a Venezuelan military leader who played a prominent role in the Venezuelan War of Independence against Spanish rule.
While the name Alcanta is not as common today as it once was, it remains a part of Spain's rich historical and cultural heritage, with its roots stretching back to the late medieval period and the era of the Reconquista.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Alcanta
Among Census respondents with the surname Alcanta, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 99.1%. The next largest groups are White (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Alcanta bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Alcanta surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino99.1% · 116
- White0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Alcanta
Alcanta appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-8 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,558 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #134,712 | 125 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 9,558 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Alcanta surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #134,712 | #144,270 | -7.1% |
| Count | 125 | 117 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Alcanta bearers went from 125 to 117 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 9,558 positions in the national ranking, going from #134,712 to #144,270.
FAQ
Alcanta surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Alcanta?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Alcanta. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Alcanta?
Alcanta ranks #144,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 117 people with the surname Alcanta. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Alcanta.
Has Alcanta become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Alcanta went from 125 recorded bearers to 117. That is a decrease of 8 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #134,712 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Alcanta?
Among Census respondents with the surname Alcanta, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 99.1%. The next largest groups are White (0.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Alcanta in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.1% (116 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Alcanta appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (99.1%), White (0.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Alcanta (2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Alcanta mean?
Derived from a place name referring to a bridge or a crossroads in Spain or Portugal. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Alcanta (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Alcanta?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.