Cantor is an English surname. One possible derivation is from the Middle English word gaunter, 'glover'. Alternatively, it may derive from cantere, 'one who sings', possibly related to the Latin base of cant or both sharing a Proto-Indo-European root with *kan-, both meaning 'song' or 'to sing'. It may also refer to the Anglo-Norman chantour or the Old French chantroir meaning 'enchanter' or 'magician' or cantor meaning 'leader of a choir', possibly also from the Latin precentor. Cantor is also the direct translation for singer in the Welsh language.
Notable people with the surname include:
Andrés Cantor (born 1962), Spanish-language soccer announcer
Arthur Cantor (1920–2001), American theatrical producer
Aviva Cantor (born 1940), American journalist, lecturer and author
B. Gerald Cantor (1916–1996), American businessman
Cantor Fitzgerald, financial services firm founded by him
Brett Cantor (1967–1993), American record executive and nightclub owner
Brian Cantor (born 1948), Vice-Chancellor of the University of York, UK
Charles Cantor (born 1942), American molecular geneticist
David Cantor (born 1954), American actor and singer
Eddie Cantor (1892–1964), American comedian, singer, actor, songwriter
Eric Cantor (born 1963), American politician
Geoffrey Cantor (academic) (born 1943), professor of history and philosophy of science at the University of Leeds
Georg Cantor (1845–1918), German mathematician, founder of set theory
Iris Cantor (1931–2026), American philanthropist
Jacob A. Cantor (1854–1921), New York politician
James Cantor (born 1966), American-Canadian clinical psychologist specializing in sexology
Jay Cantor (born 1948), American novelist and essayist
Leo Cantor (1919–1995), American NFL football player
Liz Cantor (born 1982), Australian television presenter
Max Cantor (1959–1991), American journalist and actor
Mircea Cantor (born 1977), Romanian visual artist
Moritz Cantor (1829–1920), German historian of mathematics
Nancy Cantor (born 1952), Chancellor and President of Syracuse University
Noah Cantor (born 1971), Canadian football player
Norman Cantor (1929–2004), Canadian medievalist
Peter Cantor (died 1197), French Roman Catholic theologian
Paul Cantor (1945–2022), American literary critic
Paul Cantor (Canadian lawyer) (1942–2018), Canadian lawyer
Rob Cantor (born 1983), American singer-songwriter
Steven Cantor, American film/television director
Theodore Edward Cantor (1809–1860), Danish biologist
Tim Cantor (born 1969), American surrealism artist and writer
Wulfstan the Cantor (c.960 – early 11th century), Anglo-Saxon monk