2000
#302
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 90,967
First available Census row
Per 100,000 33.72
Common Last name
Santiago
A Spanish locational surname referring to a person from one of several places named Santiago, meaning "Saint James."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 144,140 Americans carry the last name Santiago. That puts it at #238 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 42.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,378 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Santiago 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Santiago with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
144K
1 in 2,378
Census rank
#238
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
42.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
126K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 125,697 bearers of the surname Santiago in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 42.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 238th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Santiago, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 86.7%. The next largest groups are White (5.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Santiago
Among Census respondents with the surname Santiago, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 86.7%. The next largest groups are White (5.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Santiago 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 Santiago surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino86.7% · 109,038
- White5.8% · 7,230
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.0% · 6,297
- Black or African American1.5% · 1,938
- Two or more races0.8% · 994
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 200
Timeline
Historical Census data for Santiago
Santiago 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
#248
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122,212
+31,245 bearers (+34.3%)
Per 100,000 41.43
Rank movement Up 54 places
2020
#238
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125,697
+3,485 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 42.05
Rank movement Up 10 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #302 | 90,967 | 33.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #248 | 122,212 | 41.43 | +31,245 bearers (+34.3%) | Up 54 places |
| 2020 | #238 | 125,697 | 42.05 | +3,485 bearers (+2.9%) | Up 10 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 Santiago 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 | #248 | #238 | 4.0% |
| Count | 122,212 | 125,697 | 2.9% |
| Per 100K | 41.43 | 42.05 | 1.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Santiago bearers went from 122,212 to 125,697 (+2.9% change). The surname moved up 10 positions in the national ranking, going from #248 to #238.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Santiago
FAQ
Santiago surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Santiago?
Name Census estimates that about 144,140 living Americans carry the surname Santiago. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,378 residents.
How common is Santiago?
Santiago ranks #238 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 42.05 per 100,000 residents, which is about 42 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 125,697 people with the surname Santiago. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (144,140), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 42.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 42.05 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 42 of them to have the surname Santiago.
Has Santiago become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Santiago went from 122,212 recorded bearers to 125,697. That is an increase of 3,485 (+2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #248 to #238.
What does the Census say about the background of Santiago?
Among Census respondents with the surname Santiago, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 86.7%. The next largest groups are White (5.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.0%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Santiago in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.7% (109,038 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Santiago appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (86.7%), White (5.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (5.0%). 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 Santiago (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 Santiago mean?
A Spanish locational surname referring to a person from one of several places named Santiago, meaning "Saint James." 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 Santiago (42.05 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 Santiago?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.