2000
#148,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Santovenia
A Spanish toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "holy/blessed vineyard".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Santovenia. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Santovenia 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Santovenia in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Santovenia, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.7%. The next largest groups are White (5.9%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Santovenia
The surname Santovenia has its origins in Spain, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Spanish words "santo" meaning "saint" and "venia" meaning "veneration" or "reverence." This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with individuals who lived near or had a connection to a church or monastery dedicated to a particular saint.
The earliest recorded instances of the Santovenia surname can be traced back to the 13th century in the region of Castile, located in central Spain. During this time, the use of surnames was becoming more prevalent among the nobility and upper classes, and it is likely that the Santovenia name emerged as a way to distinguish families or individuals with ties to a specific religious establishment.
One of the earliest known references to the Santovenia name appears in a land registry document from the year 1289, which mentions a certain Pedro de Santovenia as the owner of a parcel of land in the city of Valladolid. This suggests that the name had already been established by the late 13th century and was associated with landowners or individuals of some social standing.
Throughout the Middle Ages and into the Renaissance period, the Santovenia surname continued to be present in various regions of Spain. Notable individuals bearing this name include:
1. Fray Alonso de Santovenia (c. 1450-1520), a Franciscan friar and scholar who authored several religious texts and served as a confessor to Queen Isabella I of Castile.
2. Doña Juana de Santovenia (b. c. 1525), a noblewoman from Seville who was known for her patronage of the arts and her support of local churches and charitable institutions.
3. Diego de Santovenia (c. 1570-1640), a military officer who participated in the Spanish conquest of the Philippines and served as the governor of the island of Mindanao from 1628 to 1633.
4. Fray Tomás de Santovenia (1605-1672), a Dominican friar and missionary who traveled to the Americas and worked among the indigenous populations of Mexico and Guatemala.
5. Doña María de Santovenia (1685-1758), a wealthy landowner from Andalusia who was known for her philanthropic efforts and the establishment of a hospital for the poor in her hometown of Jerez de la Frontera.
While the Santovenia surname has its roots in Spain, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and the Spanish colonial era. Today, individuals bearing this surname can be found in various Spanish-speaking countries, as well as in regions with significant Hispanic populations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Santovenia
Among Census respondents with the surname Santovenia, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.7%. The next largest groups are White (5.9%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Santovenia 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 Santovenia surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino90.7% · 107
- White5.9% · 7
- Two or more races2.5% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Santovenia
Santovenia 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
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+18 bearers (+17.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 9,016 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-2 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,283 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #148,244 | 102 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | +18 bearers (+17.6%) | Up 9,016 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 4,283 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 Santovenia 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 | #139,228 | #143,511 | -3.1% |
| Count | 120 | 118 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Santovenia bearers went from 120 to 118 (-1.7% change). The surname moved down 4,283 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #143,511.
FAQ
Santovenia surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Santovenia?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Santovenia. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Santovenia?
Santovenia ranks #143,511 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 118 people with the surname Santovenia. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Santovenia.
Has Santovenia become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Santovenia went from 120 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Santovenia?
Among Census respondents with the surname Santovenia, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.7%. The next largest groups are White (5.9%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Santovenia in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Santovenia appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (90.7%), White (5.9%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Santovenia (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 Santovenia mean?
A Spanish toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "holy/blessed vineyard". 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 Santovenia (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 Santovenia?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.