It is or has been borne in different countries by various unrelated families or families with no known connection to each other.
)-American Canters whose earliest known possible ancestor is an 18th-century Thomas Canter of Maryland;[1] Jewish-American Canters such as the Kentucky author Mark Canter and the Canter family that opened Canter's Deli in Los Angeles;[2] a learned medieval and early modern Canter family of Groningen and Friesland, prominent in various branches of learning and in politics;[3] Canters who are related to the Caunter family of Devon,[4] etc.
In Britain, the early examples of the surname Canter are all from Latin cantor and refer to precentors in cathedrals or monasteries.
The surname also occurs as a derivation from Anglo-Norman caunter/cauntour, 'singer, one who leads the singing'.
[5] Notable people with the surname include: