2000
#13,092
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,143
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.79
Rare Last name
Santee
A toponymic surname derived from the River Sant in Normandy, France, or from a place called Saintes.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,296 Americans carry the last name Santee. That puts it at #14,377 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 149,283 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Santee 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
2.3K
1 in 149,283
Census rank
#14,377
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,002 bearers of the surname Santee in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14377th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Santee, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.7%. The next largest groups are Black (13.9%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Santee
Among Census respondents with the surname Santee, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.7%. The next largest groups are Black (13.9%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Santee 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 Santee surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.7% · 1,515
- Black or African American13.9% · 279
- Two or more races5.2% · 105
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 76
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Santee
Santee 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
#13,322
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,290
+147 bearers (+6.9%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Down 230 places
2020
#14,377
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,002
-288 bearers (-12.6%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Down 1,055 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,092 | 2,143 | 0.79 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,322 | 2,290 | 0.78 | +147 bearers (+6.9%) | Down 230 places |
| 2020 | #14,377 | 2,002 | 0.67 | -288 bearers (-12.6%) | Down 1,055 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 Santee 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 | #13,322 | #14,377 | -7.9% |
| Count | 2,290 | 2,002 | -12.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.78 | 0.67 | -14.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Santee bearers went from 2,290 to 2,002 (-12.6% change). The surname moved down 1,055 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,322 to #14,377.
FAQ
Santee surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Santee?
Name Census estimates that about 2,296 living Americans carry the surname Santee. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 149,283 residents.
How common is Santee?
Santee ranks #14,377 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.67 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 2,002 people with the surname Santee. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,296), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.67 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 Santee.
Has Santee become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Santee went from 2,290 recorded bearers to 2,002. That is a decrease of 288 (-12.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,322 to #14,377.
What does the Census say about the background of Santee?
Among Census respondents with the surname Santee, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.7%. The next largest groups are Black (13.9%) and Two or More Races (5.2%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Santee in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.7% (1,515 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Santee appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.7%), Black (13.9%), Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Santee (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 Santee mean?
A toponymic surname derived from the River Sant in Normandy, France, or from a place called Saintes. 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 Santee (0.67 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 share the surname Santee?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.