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

Santamaria, 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 Santamaria surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Santamaria in America

Santamaria is the 2897th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Santamaria surname appeared 12,375 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Santamaria.

We can also compare 2010 data for Santamaria 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 Santamaria

The surname Santamaria has its origins in Italy, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the phrase "Santa Maria," which means "Holy Mary" in Italian, referring to the Virgin Mary. This name was likely initially given to individuals who lived near a church or monastery dedicated to the Virgin Mary, or those who were particularly devoted to her.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Santamaria can be found in the "Codice Diplomatico Longobardo," a collection of historical documents from the Lombard period in Italy, dating back to the 8th century. This suggests that the name has been in use for over a thousand years.

During the Renaissance period, several notable individuals bore the surname Santamaria. One such figure was Giannozzo Santamaria (1387-1457), an Italian humanist and philosopher who served as the chancellor of the Republic of Florence.

Another prominent individual with this surname was Pietro Santamaria (1406-1481), an Italian architect and sculptor who is best known for his work on the Basilica of Santa Maria Novella in Florence.

In the 16th century, the name Santamaria appears in various historical records, including the "Annali d'Italia" by Ludovico Antonio Muratori, which mentions a Santamaria family from the city of Naples.

The surname Santamaria also has a strong presence in Spanish-speaking countries, particularly in Mexico and Spain. One notable figure was José María Santamaría Porlier (1798-1853), a Spanish military officer and politician who played a significant role in the First Carlist War.

In the 20th century, the name Santamaria gained international recognition through the work of B.A. Santamaria (1915-1998), an Australian political activist and leader of the Catholic Social Studies Movement, known for his staunch anti-communist stance.

Other notable individuals with the surname Santamaria include Antonio Santamaria (1642-1716), an Italian painter from Naples; Rafaele Santamaria (1700-1770), an Italian architect and engineer; and Eugenio Santamaria (1901-1980), a Mexican film director and screenwriter.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Santamaria

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

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

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

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