Explore the Family Name Sanni

The meaning of Sanni

1. West African (Nigeria): from the Yoruba personal name Sánní of Arabic origin, a cognate of the Hausa name Sani. 2. Italian: possibly a patronymic or plural form of the personal name Sanna, a short form of Osanna, a male or female name based on a Biblical liturgical word, the Latin form of which is Hosanna (from Hebrew hosha’na ‘save, we pray’).

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

How common is the last name Sanni in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Sanni experienced a significant leap in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it ranked 95,091, but by 2010, it had risen to rank 56,836, showing a substantial change of 40.23%. The count of people with this surname nearly doubled from 178 in 2000 to 359 in 2010, marking a 101.69% increase. The proportion of individuals with the Sanni surname also grew from 0.07 per 100,000 people in 2000 to 0.12 per 100,000 in 2010, indicating a growth of 71.43%.

20002010Change
Rank#95,091#56,83640.23%
Count178359101.69%
Proportion per 100k0.070.1271.43%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Sanni

The data from the Decennial U.S. Census also highlights the shifts in the ethnic identity associated with the surname Sanni. Over the decade, the percentage of individuals identifying as Black increased from 77.53% to 86.91%, a positive change of 12.10%. The number of those identifying as White decreased by 35.29%, going from 12.92% in 2000 to 8.36% in 2010. Some changes were also observed in the Hispanic category, which appeared in 2010 accounting for 3.06% of individuals with the Sanni surname. However, no individuals with the Sanni surname identified as Asian/Pacific Islander or American Indian and Alaskan Native in 2010, unlike in 2000 where there was a small percentage (5.06%) that identified as Asian/Pacific Islander.

20002010Change
Black77.53%86.91%12.1%
White12.92%8.36%-35.29%
Hispanic0%3.06%0%
Asian/Pacific Islander5.06%0%0%
Two or More Races3.37%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%