Alcantara, Alcântara (Portuguese), Alcántara (Spanish), Alcàntara, Alcàntera, El-Qantarah and (El) Kantara are all transliterations of the Arabic word al qantara (القنطرة), meaning "the bridge". It can be found not only in Arab countries, but also in the Iberian Peninsula, where the name persisted past the Reconquista, and Latin America, derived from Iberian place names and other places that were under Arab influence in the past.

Alcántara is a municipality in the province of Cáceres, Extremadura, Spain, on the Tagus, near Portugal. The toponym is from the Arabic word al-QanTarah (القنطرة) meaning "the bridge".