2000
#3,789
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,587
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.18
Rare Last name
Santoro
An Italian occupational surname referring to a saint-maker or sculptor of religious figures.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,358 Americans carry the last name Santoro. That puts it at #4,203 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 36,627 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Santoro 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 Santoro with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.4K
1 in 36,627
Census rank
#4,203
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,161 bearers of the surname Santoro in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4203rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Santoro, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Santoro
The surname Santoro originated in Italy during the medieval period. It is derived from the Italian word "santo," meaning "saint," and likely referred to someone who lived near a church dedicated to a particular saint or who had a devotion to a specific saint.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Santoro can be found in historical documents from the 12th and 13th centuries in various regions of Italy, including Campania, Calabria, and Sicily. The name was particularly prevalent in the town of Santoro, located in the province of Avellino in the Campania region, suggesting a possible connection between the surname and this place name.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Santoro was Guglielmo Santoro, a nobleman from Naples who lived in the 13th century. He was mentioned in several historical records related to land disputes and legal proceedings.
Another notable figure was Giacomo Santoro, a Sicilian poet and writer who lived in the 15th century. He is known for his works celebrating the beauty of Sicily and its rich cultural heritage.
During the Renaissance period, the Santoro family played a significant role in the arts and culture of Italy. One of the most renowned members was Antonio Santoro, a sculptor and architect from Naples who lived from 1531 to 1597. He is best known for his contributions to the design and construction of several churches and palaces in Naples and its surrounding areas.
In the 17th century, Girolamo Santoro, born in 1589 in Caserta, gained recognition as a prominent jurist and legal scholar. His writings on criminal law and legal procedures were widely studied and influential during that time.
Another individual of note was Domenico Santoro, a painter from Palermo who lived from 1683 to 1754. He was known for his religious paintings and frescoes adorning various churches in Sicily.
Over the centuries, the Santoro surname has spread throughout Italy and to other parts of the world, with individuals bearing this name making significant contributions in various fields, including art, literature, law, and more.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Santoro
Among Census respondents with the surname Santoro, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Santoro 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 Santoro surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 7,412
- Hispanic or Latino6.1% · 494
- Two or more races1.9% · 153
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 65
- Black or African American0.3% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Santoro
Santoro 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
#4,076
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,713
+126 bearers (+1.5%)
Per 100,000 2.95
Rank movement Down 287 places
2020
#4,203
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,161
-552 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 2.73
Rank movement Down 127 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,789 | 8,587 | 3.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,076 | 8,713 | 2.95 | +126 bearers (+1.5%) | Down 287 places |
| 2020 | #4,203 | 8,161 | 2.73 | -552 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 127 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 Santoro 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 | #4,076 | #4,203 | -3.1% |
| Count | 8,713 | 8,161 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 2.95 | 2.73 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Santoro bearers went from 8,713 to 8,161 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 127 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,076 to #4,203.
FAQ
Santoro surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Santoro?
Name Census estimates that about 9,358 living Americans carry the surname Santoro. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 36,627 residents.
How common is Santoro?
Santoro ranks #4,203 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.73 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,161 people with the surname Santoro. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,358), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.73 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Santoro.
Has Santoro become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Santoro went from 8,713 recorded bearers to 8,161. That is a decrease of 552 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,076 to #4,203.
What does the Census say about the background of Santoro?
Among Census respondents with the surname Santoro, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%) and Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Santoro in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (7,412 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Santoro appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Hispanic (6.1%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Santoro (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 Santoro mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to a saint-maker or sculptor of religious figures. 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 Santoro (2.73 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 Santoro?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.