2000
#11,416
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,532
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.94
Rare Last name
Santibanez
A Spanish toponymic surname referring to someone from one of several places called Santibáñez, derived from "san" and "Juan".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,117 Americans carry the last name Santibanez. That puts it at #8,769 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 83,253 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Santibanez 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
4.1K
1 in 83,253
Census rank
#8,769
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,590 bearers of the surname Santibanez in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8769th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Santibanez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.1%. The next largest groups are White (3.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Santibanez
The surname Santibanez has its origins in Spain, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to be derived from the phrase "Santo y Bañez," which translates to "Saint and Bañez." The name Bañez is thought to be a reference to the town of Bañeza, located in the province of León, Spain.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Santibanez can be found in the Cartulario de la Catedral de León, a collection of medieval documents from the Cathedral of León. This cartulary includes references to individuals bearing the surname Santibanez in the 13th century.
During the 15th century, the name Santibanez gained prominence when it was associated with a noble family from the region of Extremadura. In 1492, Juan de Santibanez, a nobleman from Cáceres, accompanied Christopher Columbus on his first voyage to the Americas.
In the 16th century, the Santibanez family played a significant role in the Spanish colonization of the Americas. Pedro de Santibanez, born in 1525, was a conquistador who participated in the conquest of Peru under Francisco Pizarro. He later became a prominent figure in the administration of the Spanish colonies in South America.
Another notable figure bearing the surname Santibanez was Fray Diego de Santibanez, a Franciscan friar who lived in the 17th century. He was a renowned missionary and linguist, known for his work in translating religious texts into indigenous languages of New Spain (present-day Mexico and parts of the United States).
In the 18th century, the Santibanez name was associated with the Spanish military. Juan Antonio de Santibanez, born in 1712, was a distinguished officer who served in the Spanish Royal Army during the War of the Quadruple Alliance.
Moving into the 19th century, one of the most famous bearers of the Santibanez name was José Santibanez, a Chilean politician and diplomat. Born in 1786, he played a crucial role in the Chilean War of Independence and later served as Minister of Foreign Affairs for several years.
Throughout history, the Santibanez surname has been carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds, including nobility, military leaders, missionaries, and politicians. While its origins can be traced back to medieval Spain, the name has since spread across the globe, particularly to Latin American countries due to Spanish colonization.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Santibanez
Among Census respondents with the surname Santibanez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.1%. The next largest groups are White (3.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Santibanez 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 Santibanez surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino95.1% · 3,413
- White3.5% · 127
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 34
- Black or African American0.3% · 9
- Two or more races0.1% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Santibanez
Santibanez 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
#8,512
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,868
+1,336 bearers (+52.8%)
Per 100,000 1.31
Rank movement Up 2,904 places
2020
#8,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,590
-278 bearers (-7.2%)
Per 100,000 1.20
Rank movement Down 257 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,416 | 2,532 | 0.94 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,512 | 3,868 | 1.31 | +1,336 bearers (+52.8%) | Up 2,904 places |
| 2020 | #8,769 | 3,590 | 1.20 | -278 bearers (-7.2%) | Down 257 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 Santibanez 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 | #8,512 | #8,769 | -3.0% |
| Count | 3,868 | 3,590 | -7.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.31 | 1.20 | -8.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Santibanez bearers went from 3,868 to 3,590 (-7.2% change). The surname moved down 257 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,512 to #8,769.
FAQ
Santibanez surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Santibanez?
Name Census estimates that about 4,117 living Americans carry the surname Santibanez. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 83,253 residents.
How common is Santibanez?
Santibanez ranks #8,769 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.20 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 3,590 people with the surname Santibanez. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.20 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 Santibanez.
Has Santibanez become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Santibanez went from 3,868 recorded bearers to 3,590. That is a decrease of 278 (-7.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,512 to #8,769.
What does the Census say about the background of Santibanez?
Among Census respondents with the surname Santibanez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.1%. The next largest groups are White (3.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Santibanez in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.1% (3,413 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Santibanez appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (95.1%), White (3.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Santibanez (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 Santibanez mean?
A Spanish toponymic surname referring to someone from one of several places called Santibáñez, derived from "san" and "Juan". 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 Santibanez (1.20 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 are called Santibanez?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Santibanez at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.