Santiaga
A Spanish feminine name meaning "saint from Santiago, Spain".
Name Census estimates that about 8 living Americans carry the first name Santiaga. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Santiaga today is around 81 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Santiaga births was 1922 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Santiaga. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Santiaga is about 81 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Santiagas were born before 1955.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Santiaga. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
8
~ 1 in 42,844,292 Americans
Peak year
1922
9 babies that year
Average age
81
years old
1947 SSA rank
#4,698
Tracked since 1920
Popularity
Santiaga: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Santiaga from the 1920s through to the 1940s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 42 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Santiaga by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Santiaga during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Santiagas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Santiaga
The name Santiaga is derived from the Spanish language and has its origins in the Iberian Peninsula. The name is a combination of two Spanish words, "santo" meaning "saint" and "iago" which is a variant of "Iago" or "Jacob." This suggests that the name Santiaga has religious connotations and is likely associated with Christianity.
The earliest recorded usage of the name Santiaga can be traced back to the medieval period in Spain, where it was given to both men and women. During this time, the name was often associated with individuals who had a strong devotion to religious saints or who were born on the feast day of a particular saint.
One of the earliest known historical figures with the name Santiaga was Santiaga de Torquemada, a Spanish noblewoman who lived in the 15th century. She was a prominent figure in the court of King Ferdinand II of Aragon and played a significant role in the Spanish Inquisition.
Another notable individual with the name Santiaga was Santiaga Robles, a 16th-century Spanish nun who founded the Convent of the Immaculate Conception in Quito, Ecuador. She is recognized as a significant figure in the early history of Ecuador and is revered by the Catholic Church.
In the 17th century, Santiaga Pérez was a Spanish painter who gained recognition for her religious paintings and portraits. She was one of the few female artists to achieve success during that era, and her works can be found in various museums and collections throughout Spain.
Santiaga Rodríguez was a Cuban revolutionary who fought alongside Fidel Castro and Che Guevara during the Cuban Revolution in the 1950s. She played a crucial role in the overthrow of the Batista regime and later served in various government positions after the revolution's success.
Santiaga Hidalgo was a Mexican artist and activist who lived in the 20th century. She was known for her vibrant paintings that depicted the struggles and daily lives of indigenous communities in Mexico. Her works celebrated the rich cultural heritage of her country and influenced many other artists of her time.
While the name Santiaga has its roots in Spain and historically had a strong religious connotation, it has since been adopted and used in various Spanish-speaking countries around the world, including Latin America. The name continues to be popular, particularly in regions with a strong Catholic or Spanish cultural influence.
People
Santiaga + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Santiaga as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Santiaga: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Santiaga?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 8 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Santiaga going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 42,844,292 US residents.
Is Santiaga a common name?
We classify Santiaga as "Very Rare". It ranks above 24.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 71 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Santiaga most popular?
The single biggest year for Santiaga was 1922, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Santiaga is about 81 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Santiaga a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Santiaga in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.