2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Santman
A surname of German origin meaning "sandy man" or "sand merchant".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Santman. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Santman 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Santman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Santman, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Santman
The surname SANTMAN has its origins in the Netherlands, where it first emerged in the late 16th century. The name is believed to be derived from the Dutch words "sant" meaning "sand" and "man" referring to a person. It likely originated as a descriptive name for someone who lived near or worked with sand, such as a sandman or someone who lived in a sandy area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the SANTMAN name is found in the Dutch baptismal records of the city of Amsterdam, where a child named Pieter Santman was baptized in 1598. This suggests that the name was already in use by that time, though its exact origins remain uncertain.
In the 17th century, the SANTMAN name appeared in various Dutch records and documents, particularly in the coastal regions of the Netherlands. For example, a merchant named Jan Santman is mentioned in the records of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) in 1637, indicating that some individuals with this surname were involved in maritime trade and exploration during this period.
During the 18th century, the SANTMAN name spread to other parts of Europe, including Germany and the United Kingdom, likely due to Dutch migration and trade connections. One notable individual with this surname was the Dutch painter Laurens Santman (1710-1778), known for his landscapes and genre scenes.
In the 19th century, the SANTMAN name continued to be found in Dutch and German records, with individuals bearing this surname residing in various cities and towns. Some examples include Johannes Santman (1815-1897), a German-born artist and engraver, and Willem Santman (1853-1924), a Dutch politician and journalist.
Throughout its history, the SANTMAN surname has been associated with various occupations and professions, including artisans, merchants, artists, and politicians. While not a particularly common name, it has maintained a presence in the Netherlands and other parts of Europe over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Santman
Among Census respondents with the surname Santman, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Santman 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 Santman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.0% · 101
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Santman
Santman 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,418 places
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-11 bearers (-9.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 8,554 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 9,418 places |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -11 bearers (-9.7%) | Down 8,554 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 Santman 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 | #146,201 | #154,755 | -5.9% |
| Count | 113 | 102 | -9.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Santman bearers went from 113 to 102 (-9.7% change). The surname moved down 8,554 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #154,755.
FAQ
Santman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Santman?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Santman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Santman?
Santman ranks #154,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 102 people with the surname Santman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Santman.
Has Santman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Santman went from 113 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 11 (-9.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Santman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Santman, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Santman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.0% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Santman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.0%), Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Santman (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 Santman mean?
A surname of German origin meaning "sandy man" or "sand merchant". 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 Santman (0.03 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 share the surname Santman?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.