2000
#11,188
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,600
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.96
Rare Last name
Kanter
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) occupational surname referring to a cantor, the leader of liturgical singing in a synagogue.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,658 Americans carry the last name Kanter. That puts it at #12,715 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 128,952 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kanter 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
2.7K
1 in 128,952
Census rank
#12,715
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,318 bearers of the surname Kanter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12715th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kanter, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kanter
The surname Kanter has its roots in Germany, where it originated during the medieval period, likely between the 12th and 15th centuries. It is believed to have derived from the Middle High German word "kant," meaning "edge" or "border," suggesting that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived or worked near a territorial boundary.
In the early days, the name was often spelled with variations such as "Kanter," "Canter," or "Kander," reflecting regional dialects and scribal preferences. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Historisches Ortsnamenbuch von Bayern (Historical Place Names of Bavaria), where a certain Hainrich Kanter was mentioned in association with the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber in 1368.
Notably, the name Kanter appears to have been concentrated in the southern regions of Germany, particularly in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, though it later spread to other parts of the German-speaking world. Some notable historical figures bearing this surname include Johann Kanter (1633-1679), a German theologian and author, and Johann Jakob Kanter (1738-1786), a Swiss painter and engraver.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, as migration patterns shifted across Europe, the Kanter name began to appear in other countries as well. For instance, records show a Joannes Kanter living in the Netherlands in the early 1600s, and a Johannes Kanter was documented in Sweden in the late 1700s.
Moving forward in time, the 19th century saw several prominent individuals with the Kanter surname. One such figure was Moritz Kanter (1833-1897), a German-American chess master and author, who immigrated to the United States in the mid-1800s. Another notable figure was Karl Kanter (1834-1868), an Austrian composer and music teacher.
As the 20th century dawned, the Kanter name continued to make its mark in various fields. For example, Henry Kanter (1864-1954) was an American businessman and philanthropist, while Max Kanter (1857-1936) was a German-born American politician who served as mayor of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, from 1916 to 1918.
While the surname Kanter has its origins in Germany, it has since spread across the globe, carried by generations of individuals who have left their imprint on history in diverse ways. From scholars and artists to politicians and entrepreneurs, the name has been borne by many remarkable individuals throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kanter
Among Census respondents with the surname Kanter, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Kanter 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 Kanter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 2,152
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 62
- Two or more races2.3% · 54
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.6% · 36
- Black or African American0.6% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kanter
Kanter 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
#8,285
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,000
+1,400 bearers (+53.8%)
Per 100,000 1.36
Rank movement Up 2,903 places
2020
#12,715
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,318
-1,682 bearers (-42.0%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Down 4,430 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,188 | 2,600 | 0.96 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,285 | 4,000 | 1.36 | +1,400 bearers (+53.8%) | Up 2,903 places |
| 2020 | #12,715 | 2,318 | 0.78 | -1,682 bearers (-42.0%) | Down 4,430 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 Kanter 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 | #8,285 | #12,715 | -53.5% |
| Count | 4,000 | 2,318 | -42.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.36 | 0.78 | -43.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kanter bearers went from 4,000 to 2,318 (-42.0% change). The surname moved down 4,430 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,285 to #12,715.
FAQ
Kanter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kanter?
Name Census estimates that about 2,658 living Americans carry the surname Kanter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 128,952 residents.
How common is Kanter?
Kanter ranks #12,715 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.78 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 2,318 people with the surname Kanter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,658), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.78 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 Kanter.
Has Kanter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kanter went from 4,000 recorded bearers to 2,318. That is a decrease of 1,682 (-42.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,285 to #12,715.
What does the Census say about the background of Kanter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kanter, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Kanter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (2,152 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kanter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.8%), Hispanic (2.7%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Kanter (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 Kanter mean?
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) occupational surname referring to a cantor, the leader of liturgical singing in a synagogue. 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 Kanter (0.78 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 Kanter?
Want to know how many people are called Kanter? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.