2000
#14,983
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,810
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.67
Rare Last name
San
A Japanese surname meaning "mountain" or a Chinese surname meaning "three" or referring to the Tang Dynasty state of San.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,497 Americans carry the last name San. That puts it at #8,090 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.31 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 76,218 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the San 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for San with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.5K
1 in 76,218
Census rank
#8,090
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,922 bearers of the surname San in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.31 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8090th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname San, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 79.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.4%) and White (5.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of San
The surname "San" has its origins in Spain and dates back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Spanish word "santo," meaning "saint." The surname likely emerged as a way to identify individuals who lived near a church or monastery dedicated to a particular saint.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the Cartulario de San Vicente de Oviedo, a medieval manuscript from the 9th century, where a person named Gomez San is mentioned. This suggests that the surname was already in use during that time period in the northern regions of Spain.
During the 13th century, the surname appeared in various historic records, such as the Fuero de Benavente, a charter granted to the town of Benavente in the Kingdom of León. In this document, a nobleman named Rodrigo San is mentioned, indicating the presence of the surname among the nobility.
The surname is also connected to certain place names in Spain, particularly those derived from the prefix "San" or "Santa," which denotes a connection to a saint. For example, the town of San Sebastián (Saint Sebastian) in the Basque Country is a potential source for the surname San.
Notable individuals with the surname San include:
1. Juan San (1590-1657), a Spanish painter known for his religious works in the Baroque style.
2. Mateo San (1616-1667), a Spanish architect who designed several churches and monasteries in Seville.
3. Pedro San (1779-1853), a Spanish military officer who fought in the Peninsular War against the French.
4. María San (1831-1901), a Spanish educator and advocate for women's education in the 19th century.
5. José San (1887-1961), a Spanish poet and member of the Generation of '27 literary movement.
While the surname San is not as common as some other Spanish surnames, it has a rich history rooted in the religious and cultural traditions of Spain, particularly in the northern regions. Its connection to saints and holy sites has contributed to its enduring presence throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for San
Among Census respondents with the surname San, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 79.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.4%) and White (5.8%).
The bar chart below shows how San 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 San surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander79.9% · 3,132
- Hispanic or Latino10.4% · 409
- White5.8% · 228
- Two or more races2.0% · 79
- Black or African American1.5% · 59
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for San
San 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
#11,512
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,732
+922 bearers (+50.9%)
Per 100,000 0.93
Rank movement Up 3,471 places
2020
#8,090
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,922
+1,190 bearers (+43.6%)
Per 100,000 1.31
Rank movement Up 3,422 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,983 | 1,810 | 0.67 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,512 | 2,732 | 0.93 | +922 bearers (+50.9%) | Up 3,471 places |
| 2020 | #8,090 | 3,922 | 1.31 | +1,190 bearers (+43.6%) | Up 3,422 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 San 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 | #11,512 | #8,090 | 29.7% |
| Count | 2,732 | 3,922 | 43.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.93 | 1.31 | 41.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of San bearers went from 2,732 to 3,922 (+43.6% change). The surname moved up 3,422 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,512 to #8,090.
FAQ
San surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname San?
Name Census estimates that about 4,497 living Americans carry the surname San. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 76,218 residents.
How common is San?
San ranks #8,090 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.31 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 3,922 people with the surname San. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,497), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.31 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.31 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 San.
Has San become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname San went from 2,732 recorded bearers to 3,922. That is an increase of 1,190 (+43.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,512 to #8,090.
What does the Census say about the background of San?
Among Census respondents with the surname San, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 79.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.4%) and White (5.8%). 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 San in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.9% (3,132 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
San appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (79.9%), Hispanic (10.4%), White (5.8%). 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 San (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 San mean?
A Japanese surname meaning "mountain" or a Chinese surname meaning "three" or referring to the Tang Dynasty state of San. 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 San (1.31 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 San?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.