Explore the Family Name Saint
The meaning of Saint
1. English and French: nickname for a particularly pious individual, from Old French and Middle English saint(e), seint(e) ‘holy’ (from Latin sanctus ‘blameless, holy’). The vocabulary word was occasionally used in the Middle Ages as a personal name and this may have given rise to some instances of the surname. 2. English: perhaps a nickname for someone who wore, made, or sold girdles, from Middle English ceint, seint, saint ‘girdle’ (Old French ceint, Latin cinctum). Compare Center. Some characteristic forenames: French Andre, Cyr, Remy.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Saint in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname "Saint" shifted slightly between the years 2000 to 2010. In 2000, it was ranked 14,438 in terms of commonness while a decade later, its position fell to 15,442, indicating a decrease in popularity by approximately 6.95%. Despite this change in rank, the count of individuals bearing the surname remained steady at 1,897 in both census years. Proportionally, the surname represented roughly 0.7 per 100,000 people in 2000, and this figure dropped slightly to 0.64 per 100,000 in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #14,438 | #15,442 | -6.95% |
| Count | 1,897 | 1,897 | 0% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.7 | 0.64 | -8.57% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Saint
In regards to ethnic identity, the Decennial U.S. Census shows some notable fluctuations over the ten-year period. In 2000, the majority of individuals with the surname "Saint" identified as White (82.02%), followed by Black (9.44%), Hispanic (3.53%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.00%), those claiming two or more races (2.37%), and American Indian and Alaskan Native (0.63%). By 2010, while most still identified as White (81.71%) and Black (9.12%), there were increases in the proportions identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander (2.74%) and Hispanic (4.22%), alongside a significant drop in those claiming two or more races (1.37%), and a slight rise amongst American Indian and Alaskan Natives (0.84%).
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 82.02% | 81.71% | -0.38% |
| Black | 9.44% | 9.12% | -3.39% |
| Hispanic | 3.53% | 4.22% | 19.55% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 2% | 2.74% | 37% |
| Two or More Races | 2.37% | 1.37% | -42.19% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.63% | 0.84% | 33.33% |