Find out how popular the last name Cantillo is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Cantillo.

Cantillo, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Cantillo surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cantillo in America

Cantillo is the 27303rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cantillo surname appeared 885 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Cantillo.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cantillo to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Cantillo

The surname Cantillo is of Spanish origin, originating in the Iberian Peninsula during the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Latin word "cantillus," which means "small song" or "chant." This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with individuals who were singers, musicians, or perhaps employed in ecclesiastical settings where chanting was a common practice.

One of the earliest known references to the name Cantillo can be found in historical documents from the 13th century Kingdom of Castile. These records mention individuals bearing this surname residing in the regions of Andalusia and Extremadura, which were areas with a strong Moorish influence at the time. It is possible that the name's origins are linked to the cultural exchange that occurred between the Christian and Islamic populations during the Reconquista period.

During the 14th and 15th centuries, as the Spanish monarchy consolidated its power and expanded its territories, the Cantillo surname began to appear more frequently in various regions of Spain. Notable individuals from this era include Alonso Cantillo, a prominent landowner and nobleman from Seville, who was born in the early 1400s and played a role in the conquest of Granada.

As the Spanish Empire expanded across the Atlantic, the Cantillo surname made its way to the Americas. One of the earliest recorded instances of this name in the New World can be found in the records of the Spanish settlement of Santo Domingo, where a certain Juan Cantillo was listed as a merchant and landowner in the late 16th century.

In the 17th century, the Cantillo surname gained further prominence with the birth of Diego Cantillo y Gallardo (1603-1668), a renowned Spanish jurist and author who served as a judge in the Royal Chancery of Granada. His influential work, "Tratado de la Cabeza de Partido," addressed legal issues related to territorial divisions and administrative jurisdictions.

Another notable figure from this period was Pedro Cantillo Solís (1629-1696), a Spanish military officer and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of Puerto Rico from 1687 to 1691. His tenure was marked by efforts to fortify the island's defenses against foreign invasion and improve its infrastructure.

As the centuries passed, the Cantillo surname continued to spread throughout Spain and its colonies, with individuals bearing this name making their mark in various fields, including the arts, literature, and politics. Some examples include the Spanish painter José Cantillo (1840-1902), known for his portraits and genre scenes, and the Venezuelan politician and diplomat Ignacio Cantillo (1823-1887), who served as the President of the Venezuelan Congress and Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cantillo

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Cantillo.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Cantillo was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Cantillo has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Cantillo was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Cantillo, please contact us.

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