2000
#13,522
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,061
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.76
Rare Last name
Santa
A surname derived from a nickname or title for a person who embodied the spirit of Christmas.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,725 Americans carry the last name Santa. That puts it at #12,466 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.79 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 125,781 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Santa 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 Santa with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.7K
1 in 125,781
Census rank
#12,466
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,376 bearers of the surname Santa in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.79 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12466th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Santa, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 58.7%. The next largest groups are White (37.4%) and Black (1.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Santa
Among Census respondents with the surname Santa, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 58.7%. The next largest groups are White (37.4%) and Black (1.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Santa 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 Santa surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino58.7% · 1,394
- White37.4% · 888
- Black or African American1.6% · 39
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 35
- Two or more races0.8% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Santa
Santa 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
#11,493
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,738
+677 bearers (+32.8%)
Per 100,000 0.93
Rank movement Up 2,029 places
2020
#12,466
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,376
-362 bearers (-13.2%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Down 973 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,522 | 2,061 | 0.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,493 | 2,738 | 0.93 | +677 bearers (+32.8%) | Up 2,029 places |
| 2020 | #12,466 | 2,376 | 0.79 | -362 bearers (-13.2%) | Down 973 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 Santa 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 | #11,493 | #12,466 | -8.5% |
| Count | 2,738 | 2,376 | -13.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.93 | 0.79 | -14.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Santa bearers went from 2,738 to 2,376 (-13.2% change). The surname moved down 973 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,493 to #12,466.
FAQ
Santa surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Santa?
Name Census estimates that about 2,725 living Americans carry the surname Santa. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 125,781 residents.
How common is Santa?
Santa ranks #12,466 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.79 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 2,376 people with the surname Santa. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,725), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.79 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.79 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 Santa.
Has Santa become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Santa went from 2,738 recorded bearers to 2,376. That is a decrease of 362 (-13.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,493 to #12,466.
What does the Census say about the background of Santa?
Among Census respondents with the surname Santa, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 58.7%. The next largest groups are White (37.4%) and Black (1.6%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Santa in the 2020 Census, accounting for 58.7% (1,394 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Santa appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (58.7%), White (37.4%), Black (1.6%). 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 Santa (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 Santa mean?
A surname derived from a nickname or title for a person who embodied the spirit of Christmas. 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 Santa (0.79 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 last name Santa?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Santa on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.