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

Santillán, 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 Santillán surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Santillán in America

Santillán is the 2756th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Santillán surname appeared 13,081 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Santillán.

We can also compare 2010 data for Santillán 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 Santillán

The surname Santillan has its origins in Spain, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from a place name, either from the town of Santillana located in the province of Cantabria in northern Spain, or from a smaller village or hamlet with a similar name.

The name itself may have originated from the Latin word "sanctus" meaning "holy" or "sacred", combined with the suffix "-ana" which denotes a place name. This suggests that Santillan could have referred to a holy or sacred place, potentially related to a church, monastery, or other religious site.

Some of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Santillan can be found in historical documents from the 13th and 14th centuries in regions such as Castile, Aragon, and Navarre. One notable example is Alonso de Santillan, a Spanish poet and writer who lived in the 15th century (circa 1404-1458).

Another prominent figure bearing the Santillan name was Diego de Santillan, a Spanish military commander and conquistador who participated in the conquest of Mexico alongside Hernán Cortés in the early 16th century. He was born around 1495 and played a crucial role in the subjugation of the Aztec Empire.

In the late 15th century, the Santillan family was granted a coat of arms, indicating their noble status and importance during that era. The design featured a golden lion on a blue field, symbolizing valor and strength.

The name Santillan also appears in various historical records and manuscripts from the 16th and 17th centuries, particularly in regions of Spain with strong ties to the Catholic Church, such as Andalusia and Castile.

Rodrigo de Santillan, born in 1545, was a renowned Spanish playwright and poet who contributed significantly to the development of the Spanish Golden Age theater. Another notable figure was Juan de Santillan, a 16th-century Spanish navigator and explorer who accompanied Ferdinand Magellan on his famous circumnavigation of the globe.

While the surname Santillan has Spanish roots, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including Latin America and other regions with Spanish influence. Some notable individuals bearing this surname include Susana Santillán, an Argentine writer and journalist born in 1936, and José Santillán, a Mexican former professional footballer who played in the 1970s and 1980s.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Santillán

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

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

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

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