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

Santa, 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 Santa surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Santa in America

Santa is the 11493rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Santa surname appeared 2,738 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Santa.

We can also compare 2010 data for Santa 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 Santa

The surname Santa is of Italian origin, believed to have emerged in the medieval period. It is derived from the Italian word "santa," meaning "saint" or "holy." This surname is thought to have initially been bestowed upon individuals who lived near a church or holy site dedicated to a saint.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Santa can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Italy, particularly in the northern and central parts of the country. Historical records from cities like Florence, Siena, and Bologna contain references to individuals bearing this surname.

One of the earliest documented mentions of the Santa surname can be found in the Florentine Priorista, a collection of records from the Signoria of Florence, dating back to the late 13th century. Here, the name appears in various spellings, such as "Santi" and "Sancti," reflecting the Latin roots of the word.

In the 14th century, the Santa surname is also mentioned in the renowned "Decameron" by Giovanni Boccaccio, a celebrated Italian writer and poet. This literary work features a character named Messer Filippo Santa, suggesting the surname's prevalence during that era.

Throughout the centuries, the Santa surname has been associated with several notable individuals. One prominent figure was Girolamo Santa, a 16th-century Italian painter and architect from Padua, who lived from approximately 1505 to 1586. His works can be found in various churches and buildings across Italy.

Another noteworthy bearer of the Santa surname was Niccolò Santa, a 17th-century Italian philosopher and theologian from Naples, who lived from 1619 to 1687. He was renowned for his writings on metaphysics and theology, and his contributions to the intellectual discourse of his time.

In the 18th century, Francesco Santa, an Italian mathematician and astronomer from Pisa, made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics. He was born in 1716 and died in 1786, leaving behind a legacy of scientific advancements.

The Santa surname also had a presence in the literary world, with Paolo Santa, an Italian poet and writer from Venice, who lived from 1771 to 1848. He was known for his poetic works and contributions to the Italian literary scene of the 19th century.

Additionally, the Santa surname has been associated with various place names across Italy, such as Santa Margherita Ligure, a town in the province of Genoa, and Santa Maria del Molise, a municipality in the Molise region. These place names often reflect the presence of a church or religious site dedicated to a saint, further reinforcing the surname's connection to religious origins.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Santa

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

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

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

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