Re: The origin and meaning of the surname "Canty"
by Jim Young (guest)
1/18/2006, 4:05 AM
It's certainly Irish though it may have other origins too. In Irish it's O an Chaintighe, which means something like "descendant of the satirist". It's an unusual construction, the only name I know which begins with O followed by the definite article. Usually it's Mac an..., "son of the..."
Where's Sean F. these days? He usually takes care of Irish names.