2000
#18,057
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,424
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.53
Rare Last name
Santizo
A Spanish surname derived from the given name Santos, meaning "saints."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,089 Americans carry the last name Santizo. That puts it at #11,223 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 110,960 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Santizo 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
3.1K
1 in 110,960
Census rank
#11,223
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,694 bearers of the surname Santizo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11223rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Santizo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.4%. The next largest groups are White (3.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Santizo
The surname Santizo is of Spanish origin, tracing its roots to the time of the Spanish conquest of the Americas in the 16th century. It is believed to have originated from the Nahuatl word "tzintli," which means "corn" or "maize," and the Spanish prefix "San" (Saint). This suggests the name may have been given to individuals who lived in areas known for their maize cultivation or had some association with the crop.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Santizo can be found in the archives of the Spanish colonial administration in Guatemala, where it was used to identify individuals of mixed Spanish and indigenous descent. The name appears in various colonial documents from the 17th and 18th centuries, indicating its widespread use among the population of the region.
In the late 18th century, a prominent figure named Juan Santizo was a prominent landowner and community leader in the town of Antigua Guatemala. His descendants continued to play influential roles in the region's politics and society throughout the 19th century.
Another notable bearer of the Santizo surname was Mariano Santizo, a Guatemalan politician and military officer who served as the country's interim president in 1920. He was born in 1872 and played a pivotal role in the political upheavals of that era.
During the 20th century, the Santizo name gained recognition in the field of literature. Maria Santizo, a Guatemalan author and poet born in 1925, was widely acclaimed for her works that explored themes of indigenous identity and social justice.
In the realm of sports, Julio Santizo, a Guatemalan footballer born in 1967, represented his country in international competitions and played for several notable clubs in Guatemala and Mexico.
While the Santizo surname is predominantly associated with Guatemala, it has also spread to other parts of the Americas due to migration and intermarriage. However, its origins can be traced back to the early colonial period in Central America, where it gained prominence as a marker of mixed Spanish and indigenous ancestry.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Santizo
Among Census respondents with the surname Santizo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.4%. The next largest groups are White (3.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Santizo 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 Santizo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino95.4% · 2,571
- White3.3% · 90
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 12
- Black or African American0.4% · 11
- Two or more races0.2% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Santizo
Santizo 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
#13,065
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,350
+926 bearers (+65.0%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Up 4,992 places
2020
#11,223
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,694
+344 bearers (+14.6%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Up 1,842 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #18,057 | 1,424 | 0.53 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,065 | 2,350 | 0.80 | +926 bearers (+65.0%) | Up 4,992 places |
| 2020 | #11,223 | 2,694 | 0.90 | +344 bearers (+14.6%) | Up 1,842 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 Santizo 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 | #13,065 | #11,223 | 14.1% |
| Count | 2,350 | 2,694 | 14.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.80 | 0.90 | 12.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Santizo bearers went from 2,350 to 2,694 (+14.6% change). The surname moved up 1,842 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,065 to #11,223.
FAQ
Santizo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Santizo?
Name Census estimates that about 3,089 living Americans carry the surname Santizo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 110,960 residents.
How common is Santizo?
Santizo ranks #11,223 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.90 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 2,694 people with the surname Santizo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,089), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.90 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 Santizo.
Has Santizo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Santizo went from 2,350 recorded bearers to 2,694. That is an increase of 344 (+14.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,065 to #11,223.
What does the Census say about the background of Santizo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Santizo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.4%. The next largest groups are White (3.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Santizo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.4% (2,571 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Santizo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (95.4%), White (3.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%). 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 Santizo (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 Santizo mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the given name Santos, meaning "saints." 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 Santizo (0.90 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 Santizo?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.