Explore the Family Name Santa Maria

The meaning of Santa Maria

Spanish (Santa María; also Santamaría), Catalan, and Italian (also Santamaria): 1. habitational name from any of numerous places so named from the dedication of their churches to the Virgin Mary (or, in some cases, to some other Saint Mary; see Maria), of which there are over 150 examples in Italy alone. 2. in some cases possibly from the personal name Santa Maria of the same derivation as in 1 above. Some characteristic forenames: Spanish Jose, Carlos, Luis, Jesus, Jorge, Juan, Manuel, Mario, Enrique, Francisco, Humberto, Pablo. Italian Salvatore, Antonio, Angelo, Marco, Bartolo, Carmelo, Cosmo, Luciano, Vito, Alfonse, Bartolomeo, Carlo.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Santa Maria has grown significantly over the years. In 2000, it ranked as the 3,626th most common surname, but by 2010, it had risen to the 2,897th position, indicating a positive change of 20.1%. Furthermore, the count of people with this surname also increased from 9,005 in 2000 to 12,375 in 2010, marking an impressive growth rate of 37.42%. The proportion of individuals with the Santa Maria surname per 100,000 individuals also grew by 25.75%, from 3.34 in 2000 to 4.2 in 2010.

20002010Change
Rank#3,626#2,89720.1%
Count9,00512,37537.42%
Proportion per 100k3.344.225.75%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Santa Maria

In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals that there was a notable shift in the ethnic identity associated with the Santa Maria surname between 2000 and 2010. Hispanic representation saw an increase of 11.91%, rising from 68.77% in 2000 to 76.96% in 2010. Conversely, the percentage of individuals identifying as White decreased by 27.34%, from 25.35% to 18.42%. There were also slight decreases in the Asian/Pacific Islander and Black categories, with changes of -17.76% and -35.48% respectively. Lastly, the American Indian and Alaskan Native category saw a small increase of 12.5%, though its overall representation remained low.

20002010Change
Hispanic68.77%76.96%11.91%
White25.35%18.42%-27.34%
Asian/Pacific Islander4.56%3.75%-17.76%
Two or More Races0.92%0.57%-38.04%
Black0.31%0.2%-35.48%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.08%0.09%12.5%