Cancel
A rare surname that is most likely a nickname or occupational-name variant, though its exact origin is uncertain.
The #8,649 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 81,227 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is not well documented in the excerpts, and the historical evidence here does not include a true surname entry. The most plausible explanation is that it arose from a word connected with a chancel or chancery, or from a related occupational term such as a clerk or office-holder, but that is only an educated possibility. It may also reflect influence from French or Latin forms ultimately tied to the idea of a lattice or screen (Latin cancelli), though that connection is not secure for the surname itself.
History
Because this is a very uncommon surname, there is little clear historical record in the material provided. The best-supported point is simply that it is rare in modern U.S. use. Without a direct dictionary headword, its exact development and whether it is independent, occupational, or an altered spelling remain uncertain.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The everyday English verb cancel ultimately comes from the same Latin root as several words for “lattice” or “barrier,” which is one reason the surname may have an office-related or place-related background.
From the historical record
“her real situation, bnt on being informed of their marriage, his distress was so great that he fainted. He desired his daughter to cancel the marriage- lines with which Burns had presented her, and in the anguish of her heart she obeyed. Burns, on his part, " offered," says his brother Gilbert, " to stay at home…”
— The Scottish Nation; or, the surnames, families ... of the people of Scotland, vol. 1