Show ContentsCantlon History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Anglo-Norman Conquest of Ireland lead by Strongbow introduced the first non-Gaelic elements into Irish nomenclature. These Anglo-Normans brought some traditions to Ireland that were not readily found within Gaelic system of hereditary surnames. One of the best examples of this is the local surname. Local surnames, such as Cantlon, were taken from the name of a place or a geographical feature where the person lived, held land, or was born. These surnames were very common in England, but were almost non-existent within Ireland previous to the conquest. The earliest surnames of this type came from Normandy, but as the Normans moved, they often created names in reference to where they actually resided. Therefore, some settlers eventually took names from Irish places. Originally, these place names were prefixed by de, which means from in French. This type of prefix was eventually either made a part of the surname, if the place name began with a vowel, or was eliminated entirely. The Cantlon family originally lived in the place called Cauntelo in Northern France. Early medieval deeds record the surname Cantlon as de Cantelupo, the Latin equivalent of the Norman name de Cauntelo. Before their migration to Ireland, the Cantlon family spent a long period in England. The shrine of St. Thomas de Cantelupe, who was the last English saint canonized prior to the Reformation, is in Hereford Cathedral.

Early Origins of the Cantlon family

The surname Cantlon was first found in County Kerry (Irish:Ciarraí) part of the former County Desmond (14th-17th centuries), located in Southwestern Ireland, in Munster province, where they held a family seat at Ballyheige where they had been granted lands after the Norman invasion in 1172 by Strongbow.

As one would expect, not all of the family moved to Ireland. Bingley in the West Riding of Yorkshire was an ancient family seat. "This place is one of the thirty two lordships granted by the Conqueror to Erneis de Berun, from whose descendants it was conveyed to the Paganells and the Gants, and afterwards to the Cantilupe family." [1]

On the infamous side, Fulk de Cantelo, Canteleo, Cantelupe, Cantilupe (fl. 1209), "is mentioned by Wendover as one of John's evil counsellors. After the election of Stephen Langton as archbishop he was sent by John to expel the Canterbury monks, and the lands of the see were put under his charge." [2]

Roger de Cantelupe (fl. 1248), legist, son of Roger de Cantelupe, was hanged for treason in 1225. [2]

George de Cantelupe (d. 1273), was son of William, the third Baron Cantelupe (d. 1254), is styled Baron of Bergavenny. He was knighted by Henry III in 1272, on the occasion of the marriage of Edmund of Cornwall. He was put into possession of his lands on 23 April 1273, but died the following November. His sister Joanna married Henry of Hastings. [2]

Early History of the Cantlon family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cantlon research. Another 86 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1275, 1299, 1680 and 1734 are included under the topic Early Cantlon History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cantlon Spelling Variations

Medieval scribes and church officials spelt names simply the way they sounded, which explains the various name spelling variations of the name Cantlon that were encountered when researching that surname. The many spelling variations included: Cantillon, Cantilon, Cantlin, Cantilupe, Cantlowe, Cantelowe, Cantell, Cantillion, Cantlon, Cantlow and many more.

Early Notables of the Cantlon family

Another 49 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cantlon Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Cantlon migration to the United States +

During the middle of the 19th century, Irish families often experienced extreme poverty and racial discrimination in their own homeland under English rule. Record numbers died of disease and starvation and many others, deciding against such a fate, boarded ships bound for North America. The largest influx of Irish settlers occurred with Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Unfortunately, many of those Irish that arrived in Canada or the United States still experienced economic and racial discrimination. Although often maligned, these Irish people were essential to the rapid development of these countries because they provided the cheap labor required for the many canals, roads, railways, and other projects required for strong national infrastructures. Eventually the Irish went on to make contributions in the less backbreaking and more intellectual arenas of commerce, education, and the arts. Research early immigration and passenger lists revealed many early immigrants bearing the name Cantlon:

Cantlon Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • William Cantlon, who arrived in Ohio in 1853 [3]
  • Richard Cantlon, who arrived in New York State in 1855
Cantlon Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Charles Cantlon, aged 35, who settled in America from Ballyallen, Ireland, in 1912
  • Julia Cantlon, aged 35, who immigrated to the United States from Goresbridge, Ireland, in 1912
  • Thomas Eugene Cantlon, aged 25, who immigrated to America from Golders Green, England, in 1921
  • Thomas Cantlon, aged 25, who landed in America, in 1922

Contemporary Notables of the name Cantlon (post 1700) +

  • William "Shorty" Cantlon (1904-1947), American racecar driver who was killed on May 30, 1947, while racing in the 1947 Indianapolis 500 on lap 40


  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  3. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)


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