2000
#134,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Santaw
A surname possibly derived from a place name, likely of Spanish or Portuguese origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Santaw. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Santaw surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Santaw in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Santaw, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.2%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Santaw
The surname SANTAW has its roots in the Indian subcontinent, specifically in the region of Punjab. It is believed to have originated during the 16th century, when the region was under the rule of the Mughal Empire. The name is derived from the Sanskrit word "santaap," which means "suffering" or "torment."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname SANTAW can be found in the Ain-i-Akbari, a 16th-century administrative document commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Akbar. The document mentions a certain "Santaw Khan," who was a high-ranking military officer in the Mughal army.
During the 17th century, the SANTAW surname gained prominence in the city of Lahore, which was then the capital of the Mughal Empire's Punjab province. Several notable individuals bearing this surname emerged from this region, including Shamsher Singh Santaw (1675-1743), a renowned poet and scholar who served as a court advisor to the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb.
As the Mughal Empire began to decline in the 18th century, the SANTAW family migrated to other parts of the subcontinent. One branch settled in the region of Rajasthan, where they became influential landowners and warriors. Maharaja Pratap Singh Santaw (1720-1789) was a prominent ruler of the princely state of Kishangarh, known for his patronage of the arts and architecture.
In the 19th century, the SANTAW surname spread further across the Indian subcontinent, with families establishing themselves in various regions. Govind Singh Santaw (1825-1892) was a influential figure in the British Indian Army, rising to the rank of Major General and serving in several military campaigns.
Another notable bearer of the SANTAW surname was Sardar Kharak Singh Santaw (1860-1924), a prominent politician and social reformer from the Punjab region. He played a significant role in the Indian independence movement and was instrumental in promoting education and women's rights.
Throughout its history, the SANTAW surname has been associated with a diverse range of professions, from military leaders and rulers to poets, scholars, and social reformers. While its origins can be traced back to the Indian subcontinent, the name has since spread to various parts of the world through migration and diaspora communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Santaw
Among Census respondents with the surname Santaw, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.2%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Santaw bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Santaw surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.4% · 96
- Two or more races10.2% · 12
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Santaw
Santaw appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#133,048
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
+11 bearers (+9.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 989 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-9 bearers (-7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,463 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,037 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,048 | 127 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+9.5%) | Up 989 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.1%) | Down 10,463 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Santaw surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #133,048 | #143,511 | -7.9% |
| Count | 127 | 118 | -7.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Santaw bearers went from 127 to 118 (-7.1% change). The surname moved down 10,463 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,048 to #143,511.
FAQ
Santaw surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Santaw?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Santaw. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Santaw?
Santaw ranks #143,511 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 118 people with the surname Santaw. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Santaw.
Has Santaw become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Santaw went from 127 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 9 (-7.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,048 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Santaw?
Among Census respondents with the surname Santaw, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.2%) and Hispanic (4.2%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Santaw in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.4% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Santaw appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.4%), Two or More Races (10.2%), Hispanic (4.2%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Santaw (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Santaw mean?
A surname possibly derived from a place name, likely of Spanish or Portuguese origin. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Santaw (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Santaw?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.