Find out how popular the last name DeSantiago is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named DeSantiago.

DeSantiago, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the DeSantiago surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of DeSantiago in America

DeSantiago is the 5100th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The DeSantiago surname appeared 6,864 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname DeSantiago.

We can also compare 2010 data for DeSantiago to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name DeSantiago

The surname DeSantiago is of Spanish origin, derived from the place name Santiago, which is a combination of the words "Santo" meaning "Saint" and "Iago" or "Jago", the Spanish form of the name James. The name likely originated in the 12th or 13th century in the region of Galicia, Spain, where the city of Santiago de Compostela is located.

The name DeSantiago is closely associated with the Camino de Santiago, the famous pilgrimage route to the shrine of St. James the Great in Santiago de Compostela. During the Middle Ages, many pilgrims and settlers who completed the journey or lived near the route adopted the surname DeSantiago or variations such as De Santiago, De Sant Iago, or De Sant Yago.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname DeSantiago can be found in the Códice Calixtino, a 12th-century manuscript that documented the history and miracles associated with the Camino de Santiago. The manuscript mentions several individuals with variations of the DeSantiago surname, including Petrus de Sancto Iacobo and Johannes de Sancto Iago.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname DeSantiago. One of the earliest was Diego de Santiago (c. 1450-1520), a Spanish conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés in the conquest of Mexico. Another notable figure was Rodrigo de Santiago (1602-1667), a Spanish painter known for his religious works in the Baroque style.

In the 18th century, Antonio de Santiago (1720-1790) was a Spanish military engineer and architect who designed several fortifications and buildings in Puerto Rico. Manuel de Santiago (1830-1890) was a Mexican lawyer and politician who served as the Secretary of Foreign Affairs during the presidency of Porfirio Díaz.

In more recent times, one of the most well-known individuals with the surname DeSantiago was Roberto DeSantiago (1930-2010), a Puerto Rican actor and singer who appeared in numerous Broadway musicals and films throughout his career.

While the surname DeSantiago has its roots in Spain and the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly Latin America and regions with significant Spanish influence.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name DeSantiago

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname DeSantiago.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for DeSantiago was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of DeSantiago has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name DeSantiago was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of DeSantiago, please contact us.

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