2000
#123,314
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Santolla
An Italian surname meaning "little saint" or derived from the name of a saint.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Santolla. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Santolla 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Santolla in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Santolla, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Santolla
The surname Santolla is of Italian origin, specifically from the region of Campania in southern Italy. It is believed to have originated in the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century. The name is derived from the Italian word "santola," which refers to a type of crab or lobster.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Santolla surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Cavensis, a collection of medieval documents from the Cava de' Tirreni monastery in Campania, dated around the year 1200. In these records, the name appears as "Santolla," suggesting that it was already in use at that time.
In the 14th century, a notable individual bearing the Santolla surname was Girolamo Santolla, a renowned physician and scholar from Naples. He was born around 1330 and gained recognition for his contributions to the field of medicine.
During the Renaissance period, the Santolla family produced several notable figures. In the 15th century, Antonio Santolla, a prominent artist and sculptor from Amalfi, was commissioned to create several works for churches and noble families in the region. He lived from approximately 1420 to 1490.
In the 16th century, the Santolla name appears in the records of the University of Bologna, where Giacomo Santolla, a scholar and professor of law, taught from 1550 to 1580.
Another significant figure was Tommaso Santolla, a military commander who served under the Spanish Crown during the Italian Wars of the late 15th and early 16th centuries. He was born in Naples around 1470 and gained recognition for his strategic skills and leadership on the battlefield.
The Santolla surname has also been associated with several place names in the Campania region, such as the town of Santolla, located in the province of Avellino. This suggests that the name may have originated from a specific location or region within Campania.
While the Santolla surname is not among the most common Italian surnames, it has a rich history and has been carried by notable individuals throughout various periods in Italian history, particularly in the fields of medicine, art, law, and military service.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Santolla
Among Census respondents with the surname Santolla, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Santolla 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 Santolla surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.2% · 113
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Santolla
Santolla 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
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-11 bearers (-8.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 17,826 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+2 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 909 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #123,314 | 129 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-8.5%) | Down 17,826 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 909 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 Santolla 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 | #141,140 | #142,049 | -0.6% |
| Count | 118 | 120 | 1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Santolla bearers went from 118 to 120 (+1.7% change). The surname moved down 909 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #142,049.
FAQ
Santolla surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Santolla?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Santolla. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Santolla?
Santolla ranks #142,049 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 120 people with the surname Santolla. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), 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 Santolla.
Has Santolla become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Santolla went from 118 recorded bearers to 120. That is an increase of 2 (+1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Santolla?
Among Census respondents with the surname Santolla, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%). 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 Santolla in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.2% (113 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Santolla appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.2%), Hispanic (4.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%). 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 Santolla (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 Santolla mean?
An Italian surname meaning "little saint" or derived from the name of a saint. 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 Santolla (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 surname Santolla?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.