Alcantar
A surname of Spanish-language origin, usually linked to a place-name or to the Arabic-rooted name Alcántara.
The #2,794 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 23,899 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Alcantar is best understood as a Spanish surname built from the place-name Alcántara, most famously the town in western Spain. The place-name comes from Arabic al-qanṭara, meaning “the bridge,” a reference to a Roman bridge at the site. In surname use, it likely began as a locational name for someone from Alcántara or from another similarly named place.
History
The surname is most common in Spanish-speaking communities, especially in areas shaped by Spanish colonial naming traditions. In the Americas, it spread through migration from Spain and later through Hispanic settlement in the southwestern United States and elsewhere. Spellings without the accent are common in English-language records, which often simplify Spanish names.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The place-name behind the surname is ultimately Arabic and literally refers to “the bridge.”