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

Santelli, 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 Santelli surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Santelli in America

Santelli is the 18703rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Santelli surname appeared 1,469 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 Santelli.

We can also compare 2010 data for Santelli 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 Santelli

The surname Santelli originated in Italy, likely in the region of Tuscany during the late medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Latin word "sanctus," meaning "holy" or "saint," combined with the Italian diminutive suffix "-elli." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a church or monastery dedicated to a particular saint.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Santelli can be found in the "Codice Diplomatico Aretino," a collection of historical documents from the city of Arezzo, dating back to the 13th century. In this record, a certain "Ildebrandinus Santelli" is mentioned as a witness to a legal transaction.

During the Renaissance period, the Santelli family gained prominence in Florence, where they were involved in the textile trade and became influential members of the city's merchant class. One notable figure from this era was Giacomo Santelli (1490-1562), a successful businessman and patron of the arts who commissioned works from renowned artists such as Michelangelo and Raphael.

In the 17th century, the Santelli name appeared in the records of the Papal States, particularly in the city of Rome. A prominent member of the family during this time was Cardinal Giulio Santelli (1614-1688), who served as a diplomat and advisor to Pope Innocent XI.

Another notable individual bearing the Santelli surname was the Italian painter and engraver, Giovanni Battista Santelli (1735-1806), who was renowned for his religious artwork and was commissioned by several churches and monasteries throughout Italy.

As the Santelli family dispersed across Italy and beyond, variations in the spelling of the name emerged, such as Santello, Santella, and Santellini. One example of this is the Italian composer and conductor, Vincenzo Santelli (1858-1913), whose name was sometimes written as "Santellini."

Other notable individuals with the surname Santelli include the Italian philosopher and politician, Enrico Santelli (1887-1967), who served as a member of the Italian parliament and was a vocal opponent of fascism. Additionally, there was the Italian-American writer and journalist, Antonio Santelli (1920-2004), who worked for various publications in the United States and wrote extensively about Italian-American culture.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Santelli

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

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

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

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