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

Santiago, 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 Santiago surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Santiago in America

Santiago is the 248th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Santiago surname appeared 122,212 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 41 people would have the surname Santiago.

We can also compare 2010 data for Santiago 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 Santiago

The surname Santiago is of Spanish origin, derived from the combination of the words "Sant Iago," which translates to "Saint James" in English. It is believed to have originated in the 12th century, during the time of the Spanish Reconquista, when the cult of Saint James, the patron saint of Spain, was at its peak.

The name can be traced back to the region of Galicia in northwestern Spain, where the city of Santiago de Compostela, a major pilgrimage site and the final resting place of Saint James, is located. The earliest recorded instances of the surname Santiago can be found in medieval Spanish records and documents from this region.

One of the earliest known bearers of the surname was Rodrigo de Santiago, a prominent military leader who fought in the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa in 1212, a pivotal clash between the Christian and Moorish forces during the Reconquista.

In the 14th century, the surname Santiago gained widespread recognition with the rise of Diego de Santiago, a renowned jurist and diplomat who served as an ambassador for the Kingdom of Castile and León.

Another notable figure associated with the surname was Juan de Santiago, a 16th-century Spanish explorer and conquistador who participated in the conquest of Mexico under the leadership of Hernán Cortés.

In the realm of literature, the surname Santiago is immortalized through the works of the 17th-century Spanish poet and playwright, Fray Pedro de Santiago, whose plays and poems contributed significantly to the Golden Age of Spanish literature.

During the 18th century, the surname Santiago gained prominence in the New World with figures like José de Santiago, a Venezuelan military officer who played a crucial role in the Venezuelan War of Independence against Spanish colonial rule.

As the centuries passed, the surname Santiago continued to spread across various regions, with notable bearers emerging in different fields, including the arts, sciences, and politics. It is a name that carries a rich historical legacy, deeply rooted in the cultural and religious traditions of Spain.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Santiago

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

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

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

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