2000
#5,187
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,188
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.29
Rare Last name
Santacruz
A toponymic surname referring to someone from a town or village named Santa Cruz, meaning "holy cross" in Spanish.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,374 Americans carry the last name Santacruz. That puts it at #4,196 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 36,564 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Santacruz 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
9.4K
1 in 36,564
Census rank
#4,196
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,175 bearers of the surname Santacruz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4196th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Santacruz, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.9%. The next largest groups are White (6.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Santacruz
The surname SANTACRUZ is of Spanish origin and can be traced back to the 15th century. It is a topographical name derived from the Spanish phrase "Santa Cruz," meaning "Holy Cross." The name was likely given to individuals who lived near a church, chapel, or landmark dedicated to the Holy Cross.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the SANTACRUZ surname can be found in the Spanish town of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, located in the Canary Islands. This town, founded in the late 15th century, was named after the Holy Cross, and it is likely that some of the earliest individuals bearing the SANTACRUZ surname were from this region.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, as Spain expanded its territories through exploration and colonization, the SANTACRUZ surname spread to various parts of the Americas, including Mexico, South America, and the Caribbean. Some notable individuals with this surname from this period include:
1. Álvaro de Navia Osorio y Santa Cruz (1573-1632), a Spanish naval officer and explorer who was involved in the exploration of the Pacific Ocean.
2. Melchor de Santa Cruz de Dueñas (1520-1578), a Spanish Franciscan friar and author who wrote about the history of the Yucatán Peninsula.
As the Spanish Empire grew, the SANTACRUZ surname continued to spread and appear in various records and documents. In the 18th century, notable individuals with this surname include:
1. José de Santa Cruz y Calahorra (1707-1796), a Spanish military officer and governor of several Spanish territories in the Americas.
2. Francisco de Santa Cruz y Espejo (1704-1795), an Ecuadorian scientist and writer who was a prominent figure in the Enlightenment in Spanish America.
In the 19th century, the SANTACRUZ surname gained further prominence with individuals such as:
1. Andrés de Santa Cruz (1792-1865), a Bolivian military officer and politician who served as the President of Peru and Bolivia.
2. Rafael Santa Cruz (1834-1905), a Chilean painter and sculptor who is considered one of the most important artists of the 19th century in Chile.
Throughout history, the SANTACRUZ surname has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, including explorers, religious figures, military leaders, politicians, and artists. While the name originated in Spain, it has become a part of the cultural heritage of many regions in Latin America and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Santacruz
Among Census respondents with the surname Santacruz, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.9%. The next largest groups are White (6.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Santacruz 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 Santacruz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino89.9% · 7,351
- White6.5% · 535
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 152
- Black or African American1.0% · 82
- Two or more races0.5% · 44
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Santacruz
Santacruz 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
#4,300
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,264
+2,076 bearers (+33.5%)
Per 100,000 2.80
Rank movement Up 887 places
2020
#4,196
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,175
-89 bearers (-1.1%)
Per 100,000 2.74
Rank movement Up 104 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,187 | 6,188 | 2.29 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,300 | 8,264 | 2.80 | +2,076 bearers (+33.5%) | Up 887 places |
| 2020 | #4,196 | 8,175 | 2.74 | -89 bearers (-1.1%) | Up 104 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 Santacruz 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 | #4,300 | #4,196 | 2.4% |
| Count | 8,264 | 8,175 | -1.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.80 | 2.74 | -2.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Santacruz bearers went from 8,264 to 8,175 (-1.1% change). The surname moved up 104 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,300 to #4,196.
FAQ
Santacruz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Santacruz?
Name Census estimates that about 9,374 living Americans carry the surname Santacruz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 36,564 residents.
How common is Santacruz?
Santacruz ranks #4,196 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.74 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,175 people with the surname Santacruz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,374), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.74 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Santacruz.
Has Santacruz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Santacruz went from 8,264 recorded bearers to 8,175. That is a decrease of 89 (-1.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,300 to #4,196.
What does the Census say about the background of Santacruz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Santacruz, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.9%. The next largest groups are White (6.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Santacruz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.9% (7,351 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Santacruz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (89.9%), White (6.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Santacruz (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 Santacruz mean?
A toponymic surname referring to someone from a town or village named Santa Cruz, meaning "holy cross" in Spanish. 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 Santacruz (2.74 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 common is the surname Santacruz?
You can see how many people have the surname Santacruz on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.