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

Cantor, 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 Cantor surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cantor in America

Cantor is the 7500th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cantor surname appeared 4,441 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Cantor.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cantor 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 Cantor

The surname Cantor is an occupational name that originated in medieval France and England. It derives from the Latin word "cantor," meaning a singer or chanter, particularly one who sang or chanted liturgical music in a church. The name likely referred to someone who worked as a precentor or leader of the choir in a monastery, cathedral, or church.

The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the late 12th century in England. The Pipe Rolls of 1195 mention a William Cantor in Norfolk, and the Curia Regis Rolls of 1208 record a Robert Cantor in Oxfordshire. These early examples suggest that the name was already established in various parts of the country by the late 12th and early 13th centuries.

In medieval times, the name Cantor was often spelled in various ways, such as Cantour, Chauntour, and Chaunter, reflecting the different pronunciations and regional variations in spelling. Some early examples include a William le Chaunter mentioned in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1262 and a John Chauntour recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296.

One notable historical figure with the surname Cantor was Thomas Cantor, who served as the Bishop of Hereford from 1420 to 1432. Another was Thomas Cantor, a 16th-century English composer and Master of the Children of the Chapel Royal during the reign of Henry VIII.

In the 13th century, the name Cantor was also found in France, where it was sometimes spelled Chanteur or Chanteur. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of Aubry le Chanteur, who was mentioned in the Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de Sainte-Geneviève de Paris in 1218.

Other notable individuals with the surname Cantor include Georg Cantor (1845-1918), a German mathematician and inventor of set theory; Eddie Cantor (1892-1964), an American comedian, dancer, singer, actor, and songwriter; and Moritz Benedikt Cantor (1829-1920), a German historian of mathematics.

Throughout its history, the surname Cantor has been associated with the profession of singing or chanting, particularly in religious settings, and has been carried by individuals from various backgrounds, including clergy, composers, mathematicians, and entertainers.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cantor

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

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 Cantor 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 Cantor 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 Cantor was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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