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

DeSantis, 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 DeSantis surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of DeSantis in America

DeSantis is the 3530th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The DeSantis surname appeared 10,117 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname DeSantis.

We can also compare 2010 data for DeSantis 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 DeSantis

The surname DeSantis has its origins in Italy, specifically in the southern regions of Campania and Calabria. It is believed to have emerged in the 13th or 14th century, derived from the Latin phrase "de Sanctis," which translates to "of the Saints." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to individuals who lived near a place dedicated to a saint or saints.

One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Cavensis, a collection of medieval documents from the Cava de' Tirreni region in Campania. This manuscript, dating back to the 11th century, contains records mentioning individuals with variations of the DeSantis name, such as "de Sancto" and "de Sanctis."

In the 14th century, a notable figure named Tommaso de Santis was recorded as a notary and scribe in the city of Naples. His name appears in various legal documents and records from that period, indicating the presence of the DeSantis surname in the region at that time.

During the Renaissance era, the DeSantis name gained prominence in the arts and literature. One example is the Italian painter and architect Jacopo de Santis, who lived from 1480 to 1549 and was known for his work in Rome and other Italian cities. Another notable figure was the poet and scholar Giacomo de Santis, born in Naples in 1568, who gained recognition for his contributions to Italian literature.

As the DeSantis family spread throughout Italy and beyond, variations in spelling emerged, such as DeSanti, DeSanto, and DeSanctis. In the late 18th century, a prominent figure with this surname was Girolamo DeSanctis, an Italian jurist and philosopher who lived from 1770 to 1839 and was known for his works on legal theory and philosophy.

In more recent history, the DeSantis name has gained global recognition through individuals like the American politician and current governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, born in 1978. Other notable figures with this surname include the Italian philosopher and literary critic Francesco De Sanctis (1817-1883) and the Italian-American actor and comedian Joe DeSantis (1909-1989).

While the surname DeSantis has its roots in southern Italy, it has since spread to various parts of the world, carried by Italian immigrants and their descendants. The name continues to be a prominent part of Italian and Italian-American culture, with its origins rooted in the rich history and traditions of the Italian peninsula.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name DeSantis

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

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 DeSantis 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 DeSantis 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 DeSantis was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!