Explore the Family Name Cantlon

The meaning of Cantlon

English (Middlesex, of Norman origin): habitational name from any of various places in Normandy and Picardy (France) named Canteloup or Canteleu, from Old Norman French cante(r) ‘to sing’ + lou, leu ‘wolf’. These appear originally to have been grimly humorous names denoting settlements where the wolves could be heard howling in the surrounding, uncleared woods. Compare Italian Cantalupo.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Cantlon in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Cantlon has seen a slight decrease in its popularity from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, Cantlon ranked as the 59,453rd most common surname, while in 2010 it fell slightly to the 64,388th position, marking an 8.3% decrease. The number of people carrying this surname also decreased from 318 in 2000 to 309 in 2010, representing a 2.83% decline. Additionally, when calculated proportionally per 100k residents, the prevalence of the Cantlon surname dropped by 16.67%.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#59,453	#64,388	-8.3%
Count	318	309	-2.83%
Proportion per 100k	0.12	0.1	-16.67%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Cantlon

Regarding the ethnic identity associated with the surname Cantlon, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows a virtually unanimous link to white ethnicity. Between 2000 and 2010, the percentage of white individuals with this surname increased marginally from 97.48% to 98.06%. Other ethnic identities such as Asian/Pacific Islander, those of two or more races, Hispanic, and American Indian and Alaskan Native were not represented in the 2010 Census data for this surname. Notably, the percentage of Black individuals bearing the Cantlon surname fell from 1.89% in 2000 to zero in 2010.

	2000	2010	Change
White	97.48%	98.06%	0.59%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0%	0%	0%
Two or More Races	0%	0%	0%
Hispanic	0%	0%	0%
Black	1.89%	0%	-100%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%