2000
#132,259
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Santinelli
A surname of Italian origin denoting someone from or associated with the town of Santinelli.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Santinelli. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Santinelli 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Santinelli in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Santinelli, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Santinelli
The surname Santinelli has its origins in Italy, specifically in the regions of Tuscany and Umbria. It is believed to have emerged in the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is derived from the Italian word "santo," meaning saint, and the suffix "-inelli," which is a diminutive form.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Santinelli can be found in a 14th-century document from the town of Perugia, in the Umbria region. This document mentions a certain "Giovanni Santinelli," who was a merchant and landowner at the time.
In the 15th century, the Santinelli family was prominent in the city of Siena, located in Tuscany. Several members of the family held important positions in the local government and participated in the city's cultural and artistic life. One notable figure was Matteo Santinelli (1423-1499), a renowned physician and scholar who wrote several treatises on medicine and philosophy.
As the Santinelli name spread throughout Italy, it also appeared in various historical records and manuscripts from different regions. In the 16th century, there is mention of a Andrea Santinelli (1520-1585) from the city of Mantua, who was a respected jurist and legal scholar.
The 17th century saw the rise of Girolamo Santinelli (1598-1672), a Jesuit priest and theologian from Rome. He was known for his contributions to the study of canon law and his influential writings on moral theology.
In the 18th century, the Santinelli family had a strong presence in the city of Naples. One notable figure from this period was Carlo Santinelli (1710-1778), a composer and musician who was celebrated for his operas and chamber music.
Another prominent individual with the surname Santinelli was Alessandro Santinelli (1819-1892), a 19th-century painter and artist from the Marche region. He was renowned for his landscapes and scenes depicting rural life in central Italy.
While the name Santinelli is still present in various parts of Italy today, it has also spread to other parts of the world due to immigration. However, the surname remains deeply rooted in its Italian origins and the rich cultural heritage of the regions where it first emerged.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Santinelli
Among Census respondents with the surname Santinelli, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Santinelli 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 Santinelli surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.6% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino14.0% · 17
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Santinelli
Santinelli 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
#133,863
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
+8 bearers (+6.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,604 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-5 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,446 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #132,259 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,863 | 126 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+6.8%) | Down 1,604 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 7,446 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 Santinelli 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 | #133,863 | #141,309 | -5.6% |
| Count | 126 | 121 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Santinelli bearers went from 126 to 121 (-4.0% change). The surname moved down 7,446 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,863 to #141,309.
FAQ
Santinelli surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Santinelli?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Santinelli. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Santinelli?
Santinelli ranks #141,309 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 121 people with the surname Santinelli. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Santinelli.
Has Santinelli become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Santinelli went from 126 recorded bearers to 121. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,863 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Santinelli?
Among Census respondents with the surname Santinelli, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Santinelli in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.6% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Santinelli appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.6%), Hispanic (14.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%). 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 Santinelli (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 Santinelli mean?
A surname of Italian origin denoting someone from or associated with the town of Santinelli. 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 Santinelli (0.04 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 have the last name Santinelli?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Santinelli on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.