The Canter surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 6,477 people carried this name — #5,374 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 45,500 people counted. That is up 10% from 5,871 in 2000.

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In print

Canter in American newspapers,
1925.

Newspaper page from Daily Kennebec Journal carrying the name Canter
Daily Kennebec Journal 1925-10-14

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain.

In print

Canter in Australian newspapers,
1840s–1980s.

1,270 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Canter. The most, 185, date from the 1920s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Victoria, at 1.3 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 438
Victoria 359
Queensland 238
South Australia 91
Western Australia 88
Tasmania 47
ACT (Canberra) 5

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Canter.

Who carried it

People named Canter,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Willem Canter
    Willem Canter 1542–1575 · writer
  • Catharina Canter d. 1634
  • Johannes Canter 1424–1497 · astronomer
  • Ghebbe Canter 1460–1516 · nun
  • Jacob Canter 1469–1529 · humanist
  • Ursula Canter 1475–1510 · intellectual

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Canter,
in the records of 7 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States632 records

632 records of the Canter name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 271
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 180
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 67
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 52
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 43
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 13
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 3
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 2
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 1
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Cecil Canter

    Born 1912 in Ohio. Enlisted 1943 at Fort Thomas Newport, Kentucky; structural- from Scioto County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 2000, buried at Salisbury Cemetery, Stockdale, Ohio.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record William Lindley Canter

    Born 1946; from Sarasota, Florida. U.S. Marine Corps, rifleman; killed in action 1967 in Quang Nam, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Josef Canter

    Arrived at New York in 1891 aboard the Waesland from Antwerp, aged 32; farmer. From Antwerp, Germany; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 632 records for Canter in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Netherlands488 records

488 records of the Canter name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 212
  • Dutch population registers 157
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 119
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Racheltje Canter

    Married in 1830 in Leeuwarden; seamstress. Died 1886 in Groningen, aged 79.

    Open Archives, AlleFriezen (CC BY 4.0); Open Archives, Groninger Archieven (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Joseph Canter

    Married in 1832 in Heerlen; "beenhakker". Died 1865 in Heerlen, aged 74.

    Open Archives, Regionaal Historisch Centrum Limburg (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Elisabeth Canter

    Married in 1882 in Amsterdam. Died 1949 in Renkum, aged 90.

    Open Archives, Noord-Hollands Archief (CC BY 4.0); Open Archives, Gelders Archief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 488 records for Canter in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Australia45 records

45 records of the Canter name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 36
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 7
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 2
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Mary Canter

    Arrived in Victoria in 1862 aboard the Elizabeth Ann Bright, aged 24.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Bridget Canter

    Came to Queensland as an immigrant in 1881 aboard the Duke of Athole.

    Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Mary F. Canter

    Of North Melbourne, Victoria; died 1892.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 45 records for Canter in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Germany8 records

8 records of the Canter name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Fritz Canter

    From Berlin. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 28 July 1916; then reported dead in the list of 8 March 1917 (Reserve Infantry Regiment No. 204).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Bruno Canter

    From Friedersdorf, Lauban. Reported dead in the Prussian casualty list of 21 September 1915 (Infantry Regiment No. 335).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  3. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Arthur Canter

    From Hermsdorf, Hoyerswerda. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 15 September 1917.

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Showing 3 of 8 records for Canter in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

United Kingdom2 records

2 records of the Canter name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Cathne Canter

    Buried in 1807 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 55.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record H. Canter

    Royal Fusiliers. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Canada1 record

1 record of the Canter name in Canada City of Niagara Falls (Ontario) cemetery records
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Consuelo Canter

    Buried in 1984 at Fairview Cemetery, Niagara Falls, Ontario.

    City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls.

Counts: City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

France1 record

1 record of the Canter name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Simone Marguerite Canter

    Born 1897 in Paris; died 1991 in Paris.

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Canter.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Canter is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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