Explore the Family Name San Jose

The meaning of San Jose

Spanish (San José; also Sanjosé): habitational name from any of the places called for a local church or shrine dedicated to Saint Joseph (Spanish San José); see Joseph. Some characteristic forenames: Spanish Manuel, Carlos, Angel, Luis, Pedro, Salvador, Amelita, Arsenio, Augusto, Bonifacio, Delfin, Domingo.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name San Jose in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname San Jose has seen a significant increase in popularity from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, it was ranked 29,932 in terms of prevalence across the United States but rose up to 24,388 by 2010, reflecting an 18.52% growth. The count of individuals with this surname also increased by 38.78%, from 740 to 1027 within these ten years. Accordingly, the proportion per 100,000 people grew by 29.63%, from 0.27 to 0.35.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#29,932	#24,388	18.52%
Count	740	1,027	38.78%
Proportion per 100k	0.27	0.35	29.63%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name San Jose

The ethnic identity associated with the surname San Jose shifted slightly over the same decade, according to the Decennial U.S. Census. Asian/Pacific Islanders make up the significant majority who bear this surname, although their percentage dipped slightly from 66.49% in 2000 to 65.82% in 2010. Those identifying as of two or more races saw a minor increase from 5.41% to 5.55%. The proportion of Whites decreased from 7.3% to 6.72%, while Hispanics experienced a rise from 20.27% to 21.32%. There were no recorded Black or American Indian and Alaskan Natives with this surname in either year.

	2000	2010	Change
Asian/Pacific Islander	66.49%	65.82%	-1.01%
Hispanic	20.27%	21.32%	5.18%
White	7.3%	6.72%	-7.95%
Two or More Races	5.41%	5.55%	2.59%
Black	0%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%