2000
#4,017
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.01
Uncommon Last name
Alcantara
A Spanish habitational surname indicating an individual who lived near a bridge or in a place with such a name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 15,695 Americans carry the last name Alcantara. That puts it at #2,579 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.58 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 21,838 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Alcantara 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Alcantara with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
16K
1 in 21,838
Census rank
#2,579
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,687 bearers of the surname Alcantara in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.58 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2579th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Alcantara, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 72.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (18.5%) and White (5.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Alcantara
The surname Alcantara is believed to have originated from the Iberian Peninsula, specifically in Portugal and Spain, during the medieval period. It is derived from the Arabic words "al-qantarah," which translates to "the bridge." This suggests that the name may have been given to individuals who lived near a bridge or were associated with the construction or maintenance of bridges.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Alcantara can be found in the historic town of Alcantara, located in the Estremadura region of Portugal. This town, situated on the banks of the Tagus River, was once an important military outpost during the Reconquista, the period when Christian kingdoms fought to reclaim territories from Muslim rulers.
The name Alcantara has been documented in various historical records, including the Portuguese Livro Velho de Linhagens (Old Book of Lineages) from the 13th century. This manuscript, which chronicles the genealogies of noble families, mentions individuals bearing the Alcantara surname.
In Spain, the surname Alcantara is closely associated with the town of Alcántara, located in the province of Cáceres, Extremadura. This town was once the site of a strategically important Roman bridge over the Tagus River, known as the Puente Alcántara, which played a crucial role in the region's history.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Alcantara was Fernão de Alcantara, a Portuguese nobleman who lived in the 14th century. He was a prominent figure during the reign of King Fernando I of Portugal and played a significant role in the Portuguese conquest of the Algarve region from the Moors.
Another notable figure was Bartolomé de Alcantara (1499-1541), a Spanish Franciscan friar and mystic known for his ascetic lifestyle and spiritual writings. He was beatified by Pope Clement IX in 1668 and is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church.
In the 16th century, Pedro de Alcantara (1499-1562), a Spanish friar and reformer of the Franciscan Order, gained recognition for his austere lifestyle and spiritual teachings. He was a close friend and spiritual advisor to St. Teresa of Avila and was canonized by Pope Clement IX in 1669.
During the 17th century, Pedro de Alcantara Álvarez de Toledo (1589-1667), a Spanish nobleman and military leader, served as the Viceroy of Naples and later as the Viceroy of Sicily. He played a significant role in the Spanish Empire's affairs during the Thirty Years' War.
In more recent times, the surname Alcantara has been associated with notable figures such as Rubén Alcántara (1920-2004), a renowned Peruvian poet and essayist, and María Alcántara (1944-2015), a Spanish actress and singer who gained popularity in the 1960s and 1970s.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Alcantara
Among Census respondents with the surname Alcantara, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 72.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (18.5%) and White (5.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Alcantara 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 Alcantara surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino72.7% · 9,956
- Asian and Pacific Islander18.5% · 2,533
- White5.7% · 778
- Two or more races1.9% · 266
- Black or African American1.0% · 131
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 23
Timeline
Historical Census data for Alcantara
Alcantara appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#2,853
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,636
+4,524 bearers (+55.8%)
Per 100,000 4.28
Rank movement Up 1,164 places
2020
#2,579
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,687
+1,051 bearers (+8.3%)
Per 100,000 4.58
Rank movement Up 274 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,017 | 8,112 | 3.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,853 | 12,636 | 4.28 | +4,524 bearers (+55.8%) | Up 1,164 places |
| 2020 | #2,579 | 13,687 | 4.58 | +1,051 bearers (+8.3%) | Up 274 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 Alcantara 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 | #2,853 | #2,579 | 9.6% |
| Count | 12,636 | 13,687 | 8.3% |
| Per 100K | 4.28 | 4.58 | 7.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Alcantara bearers went from 12,636 to 13,687 (+8.3% change). The surname moved up 274 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,853 to #2,579.
FAQ
Alcantara surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Alcantara?
Name Census estimates that about 15,695 living Americans carry the surname Alcantara. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 21,838 residents.
How common is Alcantara?
Alcantara ranks #2,579 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.58 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,687 people with the surname Alcantara. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (15,695), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.58 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.58 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Alcantara.
Has Alcantara become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Alcantara went from 12,636 recorded bearers to 13,687. That is an increase of 1,051 (+8.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,853 to #2,579.
What does the Census say about the background of Alcantara?
Among Census respondents with the surname Alcantara, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 72.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (18.5%) and White (5.7%). 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 Alcantara in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.7% (9,956 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Alcantara appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (72.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (18.5%), White (5.7%). 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 Alcantara (2000, 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 Alcantara mean?
A Spanish habitational surname indicating an individual who lived near a bridge or in a place with such a name. 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 Alcantara (4.58 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 people have the last name Alcantara?
See how many Americans have the surname Alcantara on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.