2000
#25,398
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 915
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.34
Rare Last name
Saintil
A French surname derived from the word "saint", referring to someone from a saintly or holy place.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,092 Americans carry the last name Saintil. That puts it at #15,465 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 163,841 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Saintil 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
2.1K
1 in 163,841
Census rank
#15,465
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,824 bearers of the surname Saintil in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15465th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Saintil, the largest self-reported group is Black at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.3%) and Two or More Races (1.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Saintil
The surname SAINTIL has its origins in Haiti, tracing back to the late 18th century. It is derived from the French words "saint" meaning holy or saint, and "île" meaning island. This name likely originated as a reference to the island nation's history as a predominantly Catholic country, with many places and landmarks named after various saints.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the SAINTIL surname can be found in the writings of French historian and writer Mordecai Manuel Noah, who documented the events of the Haitian Revolution in the late 1700s and early 1800s. Noah's accounts mention several individuals with the SAINTIL surname, suggesting the name was already in use among the Haitian population at that time.
In the 19th century, the SAINTIL name gained prominence with the birth of François-Denis Saintil in 1835. Saintil was a notable Haitian politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs and later as the Haitian ambassador to France. His legacy as a statesman and advocate for Haitian independence helped establish the SAINTIL name as one of significance in the country's political and diplomatic circles.
Another notable figure bearing the SAINTIL surname was Edouard Saintil, a Haitian writer and poet born in 1870. Saintil's works, which often explored themes of Haitian identity and culture, earned him recognition as one of the pioneers of the "Indigéniste" literary movement in the early 20th century.
In the realm of arts and culture, the SAINTIL name is also associated with the Haitian painter and sculptor Georges Saintil, born in 1925. Saintil's vibrant and expressive works, which often depicted scenes from Haitian rural life and Vodou rituals, earned him international acclaim and helped to popularize Haitian art on a global scale.
Another notable figure was Micheline Saintil, a Haitian writer and educator born in 1941. Saintil's literary works, which often explored themes of race, gender, and social justice, earned her numerous accolades and cemented her reputation as one of Haiti's most influential contemporary authors.
Throughout its history, the SAINTIL surname has been deeply rooted in Haitian culture and society, with individuals bearing this name making significant contributions in various fields, including politics, diplomacy, literature, and the arts. While the name may have its origins in the French colonial era, it has since become an integral part of Haitian identity and a testament to the country's rich cultural heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Saintil
Among Census respondents with the surname Saintil, the largest self-reported group is Black at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.3%) and Two or More Races (1.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Saintil 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 Saintil surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American94.8% · 1,729
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 42
- Two or more races1.3% · 24
- White1.2% · 21
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Saintil
Saintil 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
#19,041
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,430
+515 bearers (+56.3%)
Per 100,000 0.48
Rank movement Up 6,357 places
2020
#15,465
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,824
+394 bearers (+27.6%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Up 3,576 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #25,398 | 915 | 0.34 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #19,041 | 1,430 | 0.48 | +515 bearers (+56.3%) | Up 6,357 places |
| 2020 | #15,465 | 1,824 | 0.61 | +394 bearers (+27.6%) | Up 3,576 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 Saintil 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 | #19,041 | #15,465 | 18.8% |
| Count | 1,430 | 1,824 | 27.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.48 | 0.61 | 27.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Saintil bearers went from 1,430 to 1,824 (+27.6% change). The surname moved up 3,576 positions in the national ranking, going from #19,041 to #15,465.
FAQ
Saintil surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Saintil?
Name Census estimates that about 2,092 living Americans carry the surname Saintil. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 163,841 residents.
How common is Saintil?
Saintil ranks #15,465 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,824 people with the surname Saintil. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,092), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.61 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Saintil.
Has Saintil become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Saintil went from 1,430 recorded bearers to 1,824. That is an increase of 394 (+27.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #19,041 to #15,465.
What does the Census say about the background of Saintil?
Among Census respondents with the surname Saintil, the largest self-reported group is Black at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.3%) and Two or More Races (1.3%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Saintil in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.8% (1,729 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Saintil appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (94.8%), Hispanic (2.3%), Two or More Races (1.3%). 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 Saintil (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 Saintil mean?
A French surname derived from the word "saint", referring to someone from a saintly or holy place. 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 Saintil (0.61 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 have the surname Saintil?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.