2000
#4,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,769
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.88
Rare Last name
Canty
Derived from the Irish Ó Cainnte, meaning "descendant of Cainneach," a personal name meaning "handsome," "attractive," or "beautiful."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,407 Americans carry the last name Canty. That puts it at #4,692 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.45 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 40,770 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Canty 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 Canty with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.4K
1 in 40,770
Census rank
#4,692
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,331 bearers of the surname Canty in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.45 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4692nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Canty, the largest self-reported group is Black at 61.2%. The next largest groups are White (28.5%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Canty
The surname Canty is of English origin and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "cant," which means "cheerful" or "pleasant." The name was likely given as a nickname to someone with a jovial personality or a pleasant demeanor.
In the Domesday Book, a record of landowners in England compiled in 1086, there is a reference to a man named "Cantus" in Huntingdonshire. This is believed to be one of the earliest recorded instances of the name.
The Canty surname can also be found in various historical records from different parts of England, such as the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1191, which mention a "William Cantey." Additionally, in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, there is a reference to a "Robert le Canty."
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Canty was Sir John Canty, a prominent landowner and knight who lived in the 14th century. He is mentioned in the Court Rolls of Manors in Essex from the year 1345.
Another notable figure was William Canty, a merchant and alderman from the city of London, who lived in the 15th century. He is mentioned in the records of the Worshipful Company of Mercers, one of the oldest livery companies in London, dating back to 1472.
In the 16th century, there was a famous English clergyman named Thomas Canty, who served as the Bishop of Chichester from 1550 to 1554. He is mentioned in various ecclesiastical records from that period.
During the 17th century, a man named John Canty (1618-1670) was a well-known writer and poet from Oxfordshire. His works include a collection of poems titled "The Muse's Recreation" published in 1659.
Another notable figure was Sir Edward Canty (1775-1848), a British military officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became a member of Parliament. He is mentioned in various military records and parliamentary documents from the early 19th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Canty
Among Census respondents with the surname Canty, the largest self-reported group is Black at 61.2%. The next largest groups are White (28.5%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Canty 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 Canty surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American61.2% · 4,488
- White28.5% · 2,091
- Two or more races4.7% · 346
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 303
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 65
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 38
Timeline
Historical Census data for Canty
Canty 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
#4,413
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,047
+278 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 2.73
Rank movement Down 192 places
2020
#4,692
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,331
-716 bearers (-8.9%)
Per 100,000 2.45
Rank movement Down 279 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,221 | 7,769 | 2.88 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,413 | 8,047 | 2.73 | +278 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 192 places |
| 2020 | #4,692 | 7,331 | 2.45 | -716 bearers (-8.9%) | Down 279 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 Canty 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 | #4,413 | #4,692 | -6.3% |
| Count | 8,047 | 7,331 | -8.9% |
| Per 100K | 2.73 | 2.45 | -10.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Canty bearers went from 8,047 to 7,331 (-8.9% change). The surname moved down 279 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,413 to #4,692.
FAQ
Canty surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Canty?
Name Census estimates that about 8,407 living Americans carry the surname Canty. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 40,770 residents.
How common is Canty?
Canty ranks #4,692 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.45 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,331 people with the surname Canty. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,407), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.45 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.45 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Canty.
Has Canty become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Canty went from 8,047 recorded bearers to 7,331. That is a decrease of 716 (-8.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,413 to #4,692.
What does the Census say about the background of Canty?
Among Census respondents with the surname Canty, the largest self-reported group is Black at 61.2%. The next largest groups are White (28.5%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Canty in the 2020 Census, accounting for 61.2% (4,488 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Canty appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (61.2%), White (28.5%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Canty (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 Canty mean?
Derived from the Irish Ó Cainnte, meaning "descendant of Cainneach," a personal name meaning "handsome," "attractive," or "beautiful." 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 Canty (2.45 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 Canty?
Want to know how many people have the last name Canty? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.