The Cantu surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 49,126 people carried this name — #704 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 6,010 people counted. That is up 24% from 39,601 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Cantu surname

A surname transferred from the place name.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Cantù» (Italian), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 251 people named Cantu live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they live today

Buenos Aires Province 149
Mendoza 46
City of Buenos Aires 39
Córdoba 17

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 39 people named Cantu.

8 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 12 départements, most often Bouches-du-Rhône.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 8
Bouches-du-Rhône 8
Yvelines 5
Meurthe-et-Moselle 4
Gard 3
Hérault 2
Val-de-Marne 2
Paris 2
Seine-et-Marne 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

31 people named Cantu live in Switzerland.

They live in 4 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Ticino.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Ticino 17
Vaud 8
Basel-Landschaft 3
Zurich 3

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In print

Cantu in American newspapers,
1920.

Newspaper page from Evening Star carrying the name Cantu
Evening Star 1920-08-19
Newspaper page from Great Falls Daily Tribune carrying the name Cantu
Great Falls Daily Tribune 1920-08-06
Newspaper page from The Morning Tulsa Daily World carrying the name Cantu
The Morning Tulsa Daily World 1920-08-22

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

In print

Cantu in Australian newspapers,
1860s–1970s.

43 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Cantu. The most, 8, date from the 1930s.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 16
Queensland 12
ACT (Canberra) 4
South Australia 3
Victoria 3
Tasmania 2
Western Australia 1

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

Who carried it

People named Cantu,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Emilio Cantu
    Emilio Cantu 1926–2017 · politician
  • Manuel Beltran Cantu Salazar d. 1973 · teacher
  • Luigi Cantu 1868–1951 · sport cyclist
  • Luigi Cantu 1868–1951 · sport cyclist
  • Leonardo Cantu Sienra 1911– · painter
  • María Cantu Sienra 1914–1959 · painter

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 Cantu,
in the records of 2 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 States2,016 records

2,016 records of the Cantu name in the United States
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 1,499
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 291
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 206
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 6
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 5
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 3
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 3
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 2
  • Sacramento County historic burials 1
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Refugio Jose Cantu

    Born 1941; from San Antonio, Texas. U.S. Marine Corps, rifleman; killed in action 1967 in Quang Tri, South Vietnam. Buried at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, Texas.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Carl W. Cantu

    Born 1916 in Texas. Enlisted 1942 at Fort Sam Houston; clerk from Bexar County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1978, buried at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, Texas.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Giacomo Cantu

    Arrived at New York in 1902 aboard the La Champagne from Havre, aged 26; farmer. From Besano, Varese, Italy; bound for New York.

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

Showing 3 of 2,016 records for Cantu in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

France18 records

18 records of the Cantu 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 Marie Cantu

    Born 1912 in Lyon (Rhône); died 1982 in Oyonnax (Ain).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Charles Barthelemi Vincent Cantu

    Born 1894 in Marseille; died 1974 in Marseille (Bouches-du-Rhône).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  3. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Marcelle Emilienne Cantu

    Born 1942 in Morsang-sur-Orge (Yvelines); died 1997 in Longjumeau (Essonne).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 18 records for Cantu in France.

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 Cantu.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Cantu 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.

See the Cantu volume
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