2000
#6,463
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,845
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.80
Rare Last name
Desantiago
A habitational surname indicating a person from Santiago, Chile, or another place named Santiago.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,774 Americans carry the last name Desantiago. That puts it at #5,016 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 44,090 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Desantiago 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
7.8K
1 in 44,090
Census rank
#5,016
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,779 bearers of the surname Desantiago in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5016th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Desantiago, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.8%. The next largest groups are White (3.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Desantiago
Among Census respondents with the surname Desantiago, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.8%. The next largest groups are White (3.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Desantiago 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 Desantiago surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino95.8% · 6,492
- White3.4% · 228
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 25
- Black or African American0.3% · 17
- Two or more races0.2% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Desantiago
Desantiago 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
#5,100
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,864
+2,019 bearers (+41.7%)
Per 100,000 2.33
Rank movement Up 1,363 places
2020
#5,016
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,779
-85 bearers (-1.2%)
Per 100,000 2.27
Rank movement Up 84 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,463 | 4,845 | 1.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,100 | 6,864 | 2.33 | +2,019 bearers (+41.7%) | Up 1,363 places |
| 2020 | #5,016 | 6,779 | 2.27 | -85 bearers (-1.2%) | Up 84 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 Desantiago 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 | #5,100 | #5,016 | 1.6% |
| Count | 6,864 | 6,779 | -1.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.33 | 2.27 | -2.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Desantiago bearers went from 6,864 to 6,779 (-1.2% change). The surname moved up 84 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,100 to #5,016.
FAQ
Desantiago surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Desantiago?
Name Census estimates that about 7,774 living Americans carry the surname Desantiago. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 44,090 residents.
How common is Desantiago?
Desantiago ranks #5,016 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.27 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,779 people with the surname Desantiago. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,774), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.27 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Desantiago.
Has Desantiago become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Desantiago went from 6,864 recorded bearers to 6,779. That is a decrease of 85 (-1.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,100 to #5,016.
What does the Census say about the background of Desantiago?
Among Census respondents with the surname Desantiago, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.8%. The next largest groups are White (3.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Desantiago in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.8% (6,492 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Desantiago appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (95.8%), White (3.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%). 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 Desantiago (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 Desantiago mean?
A habitational surname indicating a person from Santiago, Chile, or another place named Santiago. 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 Desantiago (2.27 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 common is the surname Desantiago?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Desantiago on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.