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

Lanter, 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 Lanter surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lanter in America

Lanter is the 26975th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lanter surname appeared 899 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 Lanter.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lanter 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 Lanter

The surname Lanter has its origins in Germany and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "lantern," which referred to a lamp or lantern-maker. The earliest recorded spelling of the name was "Lantern," found in a medieval document from the city of Cologne in 1284.

In the 14th century, the name appeared in various records across the German states, with variations such as "Lanternmacher" and "Lantener." These variations likely referred to individuals who were involved in the crafting or selling of lanterns, a profession that was highly valued in those times.

During the 16th century, the surname Lanter began to spread across Europe as a result of migration and trade. In 1512, a merchant named Hans Lanter was recorded in the city of Augsburg, Bavaria, suggesting that members of the family had already established themselves in various German regions.

One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Lanter was Johann Lanter, a renowned scholar and theologian who lived in Saxony between 1475 and 1542. He is credited with translating several important religious texts into German and is considered a significant figure in the Protestant Reformation.

In the 17th century, the Lanter name appeared in several church records in the Netherlands, indicating that the family had spread to the Low Countries. One notable individual from this period was Pieter Lanter, a Dutch painter born in 1621 who specialized in portraiture and religious scenes.

Another prominent figure was Johann Friedrich Lanter, a German composer and organist born in 1686 in Saxony. His works, which included choral pieces and organ compositions, were widely performed in churches across Germany during the late Baroque period.

As the Lanter family continued to migrate and establish themselves in various parts of Europe, the name evolved into different spellings, such as "Lantner" and "Lantere." These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and pronunciation.

In the 19th century, the name Lanter gained recognition in the United States, where several individuals with this surname made significant contributions. One notable example was William Lanter, an American politician and lawyer born in 1835 in Pennsylvania, who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1875 to 1879.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lanter

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

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

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

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