Santee last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Santee

A toponymic surname derived from the River Sant in Normandy, France, or from a place called Saintes.

Santee, 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 Santee surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Santee in America

Santee is the 13322nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Santee surname appeared 2,290 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 Santee.

We can also compare 2010 data for Santee 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 13322 13092 1.74%
Count 2,290 2,143 6.63%
Proportion per 100k 0.78 0.79 -1.27%

The history of the last name Santee

The surname Santee is believed to have originated in France during the medieval period. It is thought to be a locational name derived from the French town of Santée in the Île-de-France region, located northwest of Paris. The town's name is likely derived from the Latin word "sanctus," meaning "holy" or "saint."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Santee surname can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of England conducted in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror. This suggests that individuals with the Santee name may have migrated from France to England during the Norman Conquest in the 11th century.

In the 13th century, a notable figure named Robert de Santee was recorded as a landowner in the county of Lincolnshire, England. Another early reference comes from the tax records of the city of Paris in 1292, where a certain Jean Santee is listed as a resident.

During the Renaissance period, a French scholar and physician named Jacques Santee (1518-1590) gained recognition for his contributions to the field of medicine. He authored several influential treatises on anatomy and medical practices of the time.

In the 17th century, the Santee surname made its way to the American colonies, with some of the earliest settlers bearing this name arriving in Virginia and Maryland. One such individual was William Santee, who was born in England around 1630 and later emigrated to the British colonies in North America.

Another notable figure was Reverend John Santee (1744-1825), an American clergyman and educator who played a significant role in the early days of the Presbyterian Church in the United States. He was instrumental in establishing several educational institutions in Pennsylvania and Ohio.

Throughout the centuries, the Santee surname has undergone various spelling variations, including Santé, Santée, and Sante. While the name is relatively uncommon, it continues to be found across different regions of the world, particularly in France, England, and the United States.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Santee

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

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 Santee was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 79.65% 1,824
Non-Hispanic Black Only 12.79% 293
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.79% 18
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.74% 17
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.92% 44
Hispanic Origin 4.10% 94

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 Santee has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 79.65% 81.71% -2.55%
Black 12.79% 13.02% -1.78%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.79% 0.51% 43.08%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.74% 1.03% -32.77%
Two or More Races 1.92% 2.10% -8.96%
Hispanic 4.10% 1.63% 86.21%

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

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

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Santee last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on May 19, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/santee-surname-popularity/.

"Santee last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/santee-surname-popularity/. Accessed 19 May, 2025

Santee last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/santee-surname-popularity/.

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