2000
#109,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 150
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Romasanta
A locational surname indicating origin from a place named Romasanta in Spain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 214 Americans carry the last name Romasanta. That puts it at #102,571 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,601,656 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Romasanta 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
214
1 in 1,601,656
Census rank
#102,571
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
187
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 187 bearers of the surname Romasanta in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 102571st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Romasanta, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 79.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.1%) and White (5.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Romasanta
The surname ROMASANTA is of Spanish origin and can be traced back to the 17th century. It is believed to have originated in the region of Galicia, located in the northwestern part of Spain. The name is thought to be a combination of two Spanish words, 'Roma' meaning 'Rome' and 'Santa' meaning 'holy' or 'saint'.
One theory suggests that the name ROMASANTA may have been derived from the phrase 'Romero de Santa' or 'Pilgrim of the Holy'. This could indicate that the earliest bearers of this surname were pilgrims who traveled to religious sites, particularly those associated with the Christian faith in Rome.
Historical records show that the name ROMASANTA appeared in various documents and manuscripts from the 17th and 18th centuries in the region of Galicia. One notable mention is in the parish records of the town of Monforte de Lemos, where a family with the surname ROMASANTA is listed as residing in the area.
The first recorded individual with the surname ROMASANTA is Pedro ROMASANTA, who was born in the late 1600s in the village of Cerdedo, located in the province of Pontevedra, Galicia. Another early bearer of the name was María ROMASANTA, who lived in the town of Carballiño in the late 18th century.
In the 19th century, a prominent figure with the surname ROMASANTA was Manuel ROMASANTA, a notorious serial killer from Spain. He was born in 1808 in the village of Bendoiro, near Ourense, and was executed in 1853 for the murders of several individuals, including his own mother-in-law and several travelers.
Another notable individual with the surname ROMASANTA was José ROMASANTA, a Spanish politician and lawyer who lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He served as a deputy in the Spanish Parliament and was actively involved in political affairs during that period.
In the 20th century, one of the most famous bearers of the surname ROMASANTA was Xosé ROMASANTA, a Galician writer and poet. He was born in 1919 in the town of Quiroga and was known for his contributions to the Galician literary scene, particularly in the promotion of the Galician language and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Romasanta
Among Census respondents with the surname Romasanta, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 79.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.1%) and White (5.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Romasanta 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 Romasanta surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander79.1% · 148
- Hispanic or Latino9.1% · 17
- White5.9% · 11
- Two or more races5.9% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Romasanta
Romasanta 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
#98,982
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 183
+33 bearers (+22.0%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Up 10,346 places
2020
#102,571
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 187
+4 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 3,589 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #109,328 | 150 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #98,982 | 183 | 0.06 | +33 bearers (+22.0%) | Up 10,346 places |
| 2020 | #102,571 | 187 | 0.06 | +4 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 3,589 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 Romasanta 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 | #98,982 | #102,571 | -3.6% |
| Count | 183 | 187 | 2.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.06 | 4.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Romasanta bearers went from 183 to 187 (+2.2% change). The surname moved down 3,589 positions in the national ranking, going from #98,982 to #102,571.
FAQ
Romasanta surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Romasanta?
Name Census estimates that about 214 living Americans carry the surname Romasanta. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,601,656 residents.
How common is Romasanta?
Romasanta ranks #102,571 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 187 people with the surname Romasanta. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (214), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Romasanta.
Has Romasanta become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Romasanta went from 183 recorded bearers to 187. That is an increase of 4 (+2.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #98,982 to #102,571.
What does the Census say about the background of Romasanta?
Among Census respondents with the surname Romasanta, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 79.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.1%) and White (5.9%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Romasanta in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.1% (148 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Romasanta appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (79.1%), Hispanic (9.1%), White (5.9%). 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 Romasanta (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 Romasanta mean?
A locational surname indicating origin from a place named Romasanta in Spain. 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 Romasanta (0.06 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 share the surname Romasanta?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.