2000
#7,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,038
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.50
Rare Last name
Santo
An Italian surname referring to a saint or a person considered holy.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,612 Americans carry the last name Santo. That puts it at #7,915 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.35 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 74,318 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Santo 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Santo with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.6K
1 in 74,318
Census rank
#7,915
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,022 bearers of the surname Santo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.35 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7915th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Santo, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (24.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Santo
The surname "Santo" originates from Italy and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Italian word "santo," meaning "saint," and was likely initially bestowed as a descriptive nickname or occupational name for someone who lived near a church dedicated to a particular saint or who worked in a religious occupation.
During the Renaissance period, the name "Santo" appeared in various historical records and manuscripts across Italy, particularly in the regions of Tuscany, Lazio, and Campania. One of the earliest recorded instances of this surname can be found in the Florentine tax records of 1427, where a certain Piero di Santo is mentioned.
In the late 15th century, a notable figure named Antonio Santo (1446-1518) gained recognition as a renowned humanist scholar and philosopher from the city of Padua. His works on classical literature and moral philosophy were widely influential during the Italian Renaissance.
In the 16th century, the name "Santo" was also associated with a prominent family from Naples, the Santos. This family produced several notable figures, including the poet and playwright Giambattista Santo (1530-1592), whose plays were performed throughout Italy during the late Renaissance.
Another historical figure bearing the surname "Santo" was the Venetian painter Jacopo Santo (1554-1628), known for his religious works and portraits commissioned by the Venetian nobility.
During the 17th century, the name "Santo" appeared in various places across Italy, including the town of Santo Stefano di Magra in Liguria, which derived its name from the nearby church dedicated to Saint Stephen.
In the 18th century, the composer and violinist Giovanni Battista Santo (1716-1789) from Padua made significant contributions to the development of the Venetian opera tradition, composing numerous operas and instrumental works.
Throughout history, the surname "Santo" has also been associated with various noble families and landowners, particularly in the regions of Tuscany and Lazio, where they held significant estates and properties.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Santo
Among Census respondents with the surname Santo, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (24.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Santo 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 Santo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.1% · 2,657
- Hispanic or Latino24.4% · 980
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.9% · 196
- Two or more races2.0% · 81
- Black or African American1.9% · 78
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 30
Timeline
Historical Census data for Santo
Santo 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
#7,224
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,620
+582 bearers (+14.4%)
Per 100,000 1.57
Rank movement Up 369 places
2020
#7,915
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,022
-598 bearers (-12.9%)
Per 100,000 1.35
Rank movement Down 691 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,593 | 4,038 | 1.50 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,224 | 4,620 | 1.57 | +582 bearers (+14.4%) | Up 369 places |
| 2020 | #7,915 | 4,022 | 1.35 | -598 bearers (-12.9%) | Down 691 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 Santo 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 | #7,224 | #7,915 | -9.6% |
| Count | 4,620 | 4,022 | -12.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.57 | 1.35 | -14.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Santo bearers went from 4,620 to 4,022 (-12.9% change). The surname moved down 691 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,224 to #7,915.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Santo
FAQ
Santo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Santo?
Name Census estimates that about 4,612 living Americans carry the surname Santo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 74,318 residents.
How common is Santo?
Santo ranks #7,915 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.35 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,022 people with the surname Santo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,612), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.35 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.35 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Santo.
Has Santo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Santo went from 4,620 recorded bearers to 4,022. That is a decrease of 598 (-12.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,224 to #7,915.
What does the Census say about the background of Santo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Santo, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (24.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.9%). 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 Santo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.1% (2,657 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Santo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (66.1%), Hispanic (24.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.9%). 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 Santo (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 Santo mean?
An Italian surname referring to a saint or a person considered holy. 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 Santo (1.35 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 are called Santo?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Santo is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.