Explore the Family Name Santa Croce

The meaning of Santa Croce

Italian: habitational name from any of numerous places in throughout Italy named with Santa Croce, in particular Santa Croce Camerina (Ragusa), Santa Croce del Sannia (Benevento), or Santa Croce di Maglicano (Campobasso). The placename is a Christian religious dedication meaning ‘the Holy Cross’, from santa ‘holy’ + croce ‘cross’. Some characteristic forenames: Italian Vito, Dino, Guido, Aldo, Angelo, Ciro, Cosmo, Dante, Guerino, Maurizio, Nunzio, Pasquale.

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

How common is the last name Santa Croce in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Santa Croce experienced a slight decrease in rank between 2000 and 2010, moving from the 24,763rd position to the 25,572nd. However, the count of individuals bearing this surname showed a minimal increase of 2.22%, growing from 944 people in 2000 to 965 in 2010. This resulted in a minor drop in proportion per 100k from 0.35 to 0.33, further demonstrating a slight decline in popularity over the decade.

20002010Change
Rank#24,763#25,572-3.27%
Count9449652.22%
Proportion per 100k0.350.33-5.71%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Santa Croce

In terms of ethnic identity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals that the majority of individuals with the Santa Croce surname identified as White in both 2000 and 2010, though there was a small decrease of 1.64% over this period. Hispanic identification saw an increase of 8.08%, rising from 2.97% to 3.21%. Interestingly, the years 2000 to 2010 also marked the first recorded instances of individuals with this surname identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and Two or more races, each comprising less than 1% of the total. No individuals identified as Black or American Indian and Alaskan Native during these census years.

20002010Change
White96.61%95.03%-1.64%
Hispanic2.97%3.21%8.08%
Two or More Races0%0.83%0%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%0.73%0%
Black0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%