2010
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Santonocito
A surname originating from the Italian word "santonocito", referring to a small or humble saint.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Santonocito. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Santonocito 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Santonocito in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Santonocito, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.4%) and Hispanic (6.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Santonocito
The surname Santonocito has its origins in Sicily, Italy, dating back to the 10th century AD. It is believed to be derived from the Italian words "santo" meaning "saint" and "nocito" referring to a walnut tree or the town of Nocito in the province of Messina. This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived near a walnut tree or in the town of Nocito, or perhaps had some connection to a religious figure or saint.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in a document from the year 1096, which mentions a man named Guglielmo Santonocito. This indicates that the name was in use during the Norman conquest of Sicily. In the 13th century, a church record from the town of Noto mentions a priest named Pietro Santonocito, suggesting that the name was also associated with religious figures at that time.
During the Middle Ages, the name appeared in various forms, such as Sancto de Nucito and Santodenucito, reflecting the variations in spelling and pronunciation that were common in that era. In the 15th century, a merchant named Antonio Santonocito was recorded in a trade document from Palermo, demonstrating the presence of the name among the merchant class.
One notable historical figure with the surname Santonocito was Girolamo Santonocito, a Sicilian painter who lived from 1570 to 1631. His works can be found in churches and galleries throughout Sicily, and he is considered one of the most important artists of the Sicilian Baroque period.
Another prominent individual was Giuseppe Santonocito, born in 1827, who was a lawyer and politician in Sicily during the Risorgimento period. He actively campaigned for the unification of Italy and served as a member of the Italian parliament.
In the 18th century, a nobleman named Vincenzo Santonocito was recorded as owning land and property in the town of Noto, suggesting that the name had achieved a certain level of social status by that time.
Throughout its history, the surname Santonocito has been closely tied to the island of Sicily, reflecting the rich cultural heritage and traditions of that region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Santonocito
Among Census respondents with the surname Santonocito, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.4%) and Hispanic (6.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Santonocito 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 Santonocito surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.2% · 88
- Two or more races8.4% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino6.5% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Santonocito
Santonocito appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-4 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,292 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 3,292 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 Santonocito 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 | #148,347 | #151,639 | -2.2% |
| Count | 111 | 107 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Santonocito bearers went from 111 to 107 (-3.6% change). The surname moved down 3,292 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #151,639.
FAQ
Santonocito surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Santonocito?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Santonocito. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Santonocito?
Santonocito ranks #151,639 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 107 people with the surname Santonocito. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), 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 Santonocito.
Has Santonocito become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Santonocito went from 111 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #148,347 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Santonocito?
Among Census respondents with the surname Santonocito, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.4%) and Hispanic (6.5%). 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 Santonocito in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.2% (88 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Santonocito appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.2%), Two or More Races (8.4%), Hispanic (6.5%). 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 Santonocito (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 Santonocito mean?
A surname originating from the Italian word "santonocito", referring to a small or humble 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 Santonocito (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 are called Santonocito?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Santonocito at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.