2000
#7,713
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,978
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.47
Rare Last name
Cantor
A Jewish occupational surname derived from the Latin word for singer or someone who leads liturgical prayer and chanting.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,955 Americans carry the last name Cantor. That puts it at #7,433 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.45 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 69,173 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cantor 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 Cantor with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.0K
1 in 69,173
Census rank
#7,433
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,321 bearers of the surname Cantor in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.45 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7433rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cantor, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (27.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cantor
Among Census respondents with the surname Cantor, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (27.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Cantor 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 Cantor surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White65.2% · 2,816
- Hispanic or Latino27.6% · 1,194
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.5% · 196
- Two or more races1.9% · 84
- Black or African American0.6% · 27
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cantor
Cantor 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
#7,500
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,441
+463 bearers (+11.6%)
Per 100,000 1.51
Rank movement Up 213 places
2020
#7,433
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,321
-120 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 1.45
Rank movement Up 67 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,713 | 3,978 | 1.47 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,500 | 4,441 | 1.51 | +463 bearers (+11.6%) | Up 213 places |
| 2020 | #7,433 | 4,321 | 1.45 | -120 bearers (-2.7%) | Up 67 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 Cantor 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 | #7,500 | #7,433 | 0.9% |
| Count | 4,441 | 4,321 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.51 | 1.45 | -4.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cantor bearers went from 4,441 to 4,321 (-2.7% change). The surname moved up 67 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,500 to #7,433.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Cantor
FAQ
Cantor surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cantor?
Name Census estimates that about 4,955 living Americans carry the surname Cantor. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 69,173 residents.
How common is Cantor?
Cantor ranks #7,433 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.45 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 4,321 people with the surname Cantor. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,955), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.45 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.45 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 Cantor.
Has Cantor become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cantor went from 4,441 recorded bearers to 4,321. That is a decrease of 120 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,500 to #7,433.
What does the Census say about the background of Cantor?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cantor, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (27.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.5%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Cantor in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.2% (2,816 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cantor appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (65.2%), Hispanic (27.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.5%). 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 Cantor (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 Cantor mean?
A Jewish occupational surname derived from the Latin word for singer or someone who leads liturgical prayer and chanting. 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 Cantor (1.45 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 Cantor?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Cantor on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.