2000
#18,246
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,404
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.52
Rare Last name
Cantero
An occupational surname referring to a stonecutter, mason, or quarryman in Spanish.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,306 Americans carry the last name Cantero. That puts it at #14,316 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 148,636 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cantero 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
2.3K
1 in 148,636
Census rank
#14,316
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,011 bearers of the surname Cantero in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14316th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cantero, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 85.4%. The next largest groups are White (6.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cantero
The surname Cantero originated in Spain during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Spanish word "cantero," which means "stonecutter" or "stonemason." This occupation-based surname likely originated as a means of identifying individuals by their trade or profession.
The earliest known records of the Cantero surname can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Spain, including Castile, Aragon, and Catalonia. Some of the earliest recorded instances include mentions in municipal records, tax rolls, and legal documents from that period.
One notable historical reference to the Cantero surname can be found in the "Libro de la Montería" (Book of the Hunt), a medieval Spanish manuscript dating back to the 14th century. This text, commissioned by King Alfonso XI of Castile, includes a list of huntsmen and their surnames, among which the Cantero name appears.
In the 15th century, a prominent individual with the Cantero surname was Juan Cantero, a stonemason and architect from Seville. He is credited with designing and overseeing the construction of several notable buildings in the city, including the Casa de Pilatos, a Renaissance-style palace renowned for its intricate stonework and architectural details.
Another noteworthy figure was Alonso Cantero, a 16th-century Spanish explorer and navigator. He was part of the expedition led by Álvaro de Mendaña that discovered the Solomon Islands in the Pacific Ocean in 1568.
During the 17th century, the Cantero surname gained prominence in the literary world with the writer and poet Pedro Cantero y Villaseñor (1611-1672). He was born in Madrid and is best known for his works in the baroque style, including religious poetry and plays.
In the 19th century, the Cantero surname was associated with the Spanish artist and painter Nicolás Cantero (1802-1842). He was born in Madrid and is renowned for his portraiture and historical paintings, which can be found in various museums across Spain.
While the Cantero surname has its roots in Spain, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly Latin American countries, due to Spanish colonization and migration. However, the origins and meaning of the surname can be traced back to the stonemasons and craftsmen who bore this occupational surname in medieval Spain.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cantero
Among Census respondents with the surname Cantero, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 85.4%. The next largest groups are White (6.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Cantero 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 Cantero surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino85.4% · 1,718
- White6.6% · 132
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.6% · 113
- Two or more races1.1% · 22
- Black or African American0.6% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cantero
Cantero 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
#13,486
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,253
+849 bearers (+60.5%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Up 4,760 places
2020
#14,316
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,011
-242 bearers (-10.7%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Down 830 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #18,246 | 1,404 | 0.52 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,486 | 2,253 | 0.76 | +849 bearers (+60.5%) | Up 4,760 places |
| 2020 | #14,316 | 2,011 | 0.67 | -242 bearers (-10.7%) | Down 830 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 Cantero 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 | #13,486 | #14,316 | -6.2% |
| Count | 2,253 | 2,011 | -10.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.76 | 0.67 | -11.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cantero bearers went from 2,253 to 2,011 (-10.7% change). The surname moved down 830 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,486 to #14,316.
FAQ
Cantero surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cantero?
Name Census estimates that about 2,306 living Americans carry the surname Cantero. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 148,636 residents.
How common is Cantero?
Cantero ranks #14,316 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.67 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,011 people with the surname Cantero. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,306), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.67 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Cantero.
Has Cantero become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cantero went from 2,253 recorded bearers to 2,011. That is a decrease of 242 (-10.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,486 to #14,316.
What does the Census say about the background of Cantero?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cantero, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 85.4%. The next largest groups are White (6.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.6%). 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 Cantero in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.4% (1,718 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cantero appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (85.4%), White (6.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (5.6%). 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 Cantero (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 Cantero mean?
An occupational surname referring to a stonecutter, mason, or quarryman in Spanish. 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 Cantero (0.67 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 share the surname Cantero?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.