2000
#9,761
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,056
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.13
Rare Last name
Santini
An Italian occupational surname referring to a saint-maker or someone who carved religious statues.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,650 Americans carry the last name Santini. That puts it at #9,730 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 93,905 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Santini 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 Santini with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.6K
1 in 93,905
Census rank
#9,730
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,183 bearers of the surname Santini in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9730th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Santini, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (29.2%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Santini
The surname Santini is of Italian origin, derived from the name Santi, which means "saints" in Italian. It is believed that the name originated in the early medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century, when it was common for individuals to be identified by their place of origin, occupation, or personal characteristics.
The name Santini is thought to have originated in various regions of Italy, particularly in Tuscany and Umbria, where it is still prevalent today. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in historical documents and records from these regions.
One of the earliest known references to the name Santini can be traced back to the 14th century, when a certain Giovanni Santini was mentioned in the records of the city of Siena in Tuscany. Another notable early example is that of Francesco Santini, a renowned painter and architect from the town of Cortona, who lived from 1440 to 1508.
In the 15th century, the name Santini appeared in the records of the town of Perugia in Umbria, where a family of that name was prominent and held positions of influence. One member of this family, Giulio Santini (1508-1591), was a renowned jurist and legal scholar.
Over the centuries, the name Santini has been associated with various notable individuals from different fields. One notable figure was Giuseppe Santini (1787-1866), an Italian composer and music theorist who made significant contributions to the development of opera and orchestral music.
Another prominent individual with the Santini surname was Giovanni Santini (1786-1877), an Italian architect and engineer who was responsible for the design and construction of several important buildings and infrastructure projects in Rome and other parts of Italy.
In the 20th century, several individuals with the Santini surname achieved recognition in various fields. One example is Roberto Santini (1928-2017), an Italian filmmaker and screenwriter who was known for his work in the neorealist and avant-garde cinema movements.
Additionally, Giancarlo Santini (1936-2022) was an Italian football player and manager who had a successful career playing for and coaching various clubs in Italy and abroad.
The surname Santini has also been associated with notable individuals in other fields, such as science, literature, and politics, further solidifying its place in the annals of Italian history and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Santini
Among Census respondents with the surname Santini, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (29.2%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Santini 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 Santini surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White65.9% · 2,099
- Hispanic or Latino29.2% · 929
- Two or more races2.4% · 76
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 38
- Black or African American0.8% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Santini
Santini 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
#8,896
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,680
+624 bearers (+20.4%)
Per 100,000 1.25
Rank movement Up 865 places
2020
#9,730
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,183
-497 bearers (-13.5%)
Per 100,000 1.06
Rank movement Down 834 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,761 | 3,056 | 1.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,896 | 3,680 | 1.25 | +624 bearers (+20.4%) | Up 865 places |
| 2020 | #9,730 | 3,183 | 1.06 | -497 bearers (-13.5%) | Down 834 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 Santini 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 | #8,896 | #9,730 | -9.4% |
| Count | 3,680 | 3,183 | -13.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.25 | 1.06 | -14.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Santini bearers went from 3,680 to 3,183 (-13.5% change). The surname moved down 834 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,896 to #9,730.
FAQ
Santini surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Santini?
Name Census estimates that about 3,650 living Americans carry the surname Santini. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 93,905 residents.
How common is Santini?
Santini ranks #9,730 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.06 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 3,183 people with the surname Santini. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,650), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.06 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 Santini.
Has Santini become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Santini went from 3,680 recorded bearers to 3,183. That is a decrease of 497 (-13.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,896 to #9,730.
What does the Census say about the background of Santini?
Among Census respondents with the surname Santini, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (29.2%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Santini in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.9% (2,099 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Santini appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (65.9%), Hispanic (29.2%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Santini (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 Santini mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to a saint-maker or someone who carved religious statues. 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 Santini (1.06 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 surname Santini?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.