Alcántara
A surname originally tied to places named Alcántara, especially the famous Spanish town and bridge over the Tagus River.
The #2,853 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 24,434 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Alcántara is a habitational surname from places called Alcántara, most notably the town in western Spain. The place-name comes from Arabic al-qanṭarah, meaning “the bridge,” a reference to a celebrated Roman bridge there. In surname use, it originally identified someone who came from or lived near such a place.
History
The name is strongly associated with Spain and later spread into Portugal, Latin America, and other Spanish-speaking communities. The best-known place linked to the surname is Alcántara in Cáceres, which gave its name to the military Order of Alcántara in medieval Spain. As a family name, it is especially common today in Hispanic and Filipino contexts.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The town of Alcántara is famous for an exceptionally well-preserved Roman bridge, which helped make the place-name memorable for centuries.
From the historical record
“Valencia, Toledo, Talavera, Zamora, Moreno (see Sierra), Prado, Merida, Villareal, Castroverde, Alcantara, Saragossa, Barcelona, Malaga, Astorga, Alameda, Alcazar, Montserrat, Ebro, Gaudiana, Almazor, Rounceval (Ronoevalles), Mancha,”
— A Grammar of American Surnames