Head to head · Boys' names
Hendrix vs Santino
#354 vs #353 in 2025
Santino is a whisker ahead (#353 vs #354 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Santino is climbing the charts fast, Hendrix is stepping back from its peak.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
The tape is even: Hendrix and Santino each lead 3 measures of 6.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1880s: Hendrix #936, Santino — — Hendrix higher
- 1910s: Hendrix #2926, Santino #2621 — Santino higher
- 1920s: Hendrix #4089, Santino #3148 — Santino higher
- 1930s: Hendrix —, Santino #3455 — Santino higher
- 1950s: Hendrix —, Santino #3942 — Santino higher
- 1960s: Hendrix —, Santino #3586 — Santino higher
- 1970s: Hendrix #4851, Santino #1581 — Santino higher
- 1980s: Hendrix #5955, Santino #1340 — Santino higher
- 1990s: Hendrix #6766, Santino #1184 — Santino higher
- 2000s: Hendrix #3570, Santino #811 — Santino higher
- 2010s: Hendrix #596, Santino #603 — Hendrix higher
- 2020s: Hendrix #298, Santino #408 — Hendrix higher
Santino stood higher in 9 of 12 decades; Hendrix has held the lead since the 2010s.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Hendrix | Santino |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | #936 | — |
| 1910s | #2926 | #2621 |
| 1920s | #4089 | #3148 |
| 1930s | — | #3455 |
| 1950s | — | #3942 |
| 1960s | — | #3586 |
| 1970s | #4851 | #1581 |
| 1980s | #5955 | #1340 |
| 1990s | #6766 | #1184 |
| 2000s | #3570 | #811 |
| 2010s | #596 | #603 |
| 2020s | #298 | #408 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Hendrix
son of Hendrik — from Germanic "home" plus "ruler"
Hendrik is the Dutch form of Germanic Heimirich, built from heim "home" and ric "ruler, power". The -x ending is a Dutch and Flemish way of writing the patronymic -ks, so Hendrix is literally "Hendrik's son".
Heimirich → Heinrich → Hendrik → Hendriks → Hendrix
How it traveled
The Germanic name Heimirich — "home ruler" — spread through medieval Europe as Heinrich in German lands and Hendrik in the Low Countries, and became Henry in English. Dutch and Flemish families then formed surnames from it, writing the patronymic -ks as -x, which gives Hendriks and Hendrix.
Santino
little saint
From Italian santo, "saint, holy," from Latin sanctus, with the -ino ending that Italian uses for affection and smallness. Santino also serves as a pet form of Costantino (Constantine) in Italian.
Sanctus → Santo → Santino
How it traveled
The root is the Latin sanctus, "holy," which became santo in Italian and Spanish and attached itself to saints' days, place names and churches across the Catholic world. Italians turned Santo into Santino with the -ino suffix that also gives Marco a Marcolino and a bambino a name of its own.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Hendrix
HEN-driks
Stress on the first syllable. English speakers read it correctly on sight, and the x is pronounced exactly as it looks.
- Hen — The most natural clipping in English speech; informal, family use.
- Rix — Takes the tail rather than the head; informal, and rare enough that it usually needs introducing.
- Hendy — Surname-style, the way sports teams shorten last names; used among friends more than at home.
Santino
san-TEE-noh
Stress on the middle syllable. Italian and Spanish speakers say it identically, and English speakers land on it without coaching — the spelling gives no other option.
- Sonny — The traditional English short form, established by generations of Italian-American families and reinforced by fiction; also used as a standalone given name.
- Santi — Common in Spanish-speaking households, where it also serves Santiago; informal, used among family and friends.
- Tino — Italian-style clipping of the ending; also stands alone as a given name in Italy and Latin America.
- Santo — The full parent name used as a short form; formal enough for documents in Italian families.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Hendrix if you want…
- a name past its most crowded yearsHendrix is stepping back from its peak
- a name with fewer syllablesHendrix is 2 syllables to Santino's 3
Choose Santino if you want…
- a name on the way upup 92 places on the charts in five years
- a name with more sound in itSantino runs 3 syllables, Hendrix 2
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Hendrix
Strengths
- Spelled the way it sounds for English speakers, with no realistic pronunciation dispute.
- The -x spelling is already widely recognized, so it rarely needs to be defended as an invented form.
- Belongs to the Henry family, one of the longest continuously used name lines in Europe.
To consider
- The link to Jimi Hendrix is direct and permanent. Many people will hear it as a tribute and say so, which is charming to some families and tiresome to others.
- Hendricks is a common surname spelling, so expect the -cks version to be written by mistake fairly often.
- Short forms are thin on the ground — none of them is standard, so the full name is likely to be what he is called day to day.
Santino
Strengths
- Spelled exactly as it sounds in English, Spanish and Italian alike, so it survives phone calls, roll calls and border crossings intact.
- Several short forms already in real use — Sonny, Santi, Tino — none of which need to be invented.
- A documented line back to Latin sanctus, and an unbroken presence in American records stretching over a century.
To consider
- The Godfather link is strong and permanent: Santino Corleone is the hot-tempered eldest son, and some adults will make the connection out loud, usually fondly. Children generally will not.
- Its recent rise means most people carrying the name are still young, so a Santino may be the only one in his year while also sounding current rather than antique.
- It is heard far more in some parts of the country than others, so how familiar it feels will depend a good deal on where the family lives.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Hendrix and Santino in full.
Weighing the whole shortlist? Run the full comparison — up to eight names with your last name, initials, classroom projections and a printable report.
Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
Still torn between Hendrix and Santino?
Put both to the vote.
One link to your partner, your parents, your sister. Each of them gets the two names, a one-tap answer and room to say why — and every reply lands in one place.
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More than two in the running? Settle it with a bracket or run the full comparison with your last name.
More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists these names appear on
- Names with an X in them
- Musical names, from Aria to Lennon
- Rock and roll names
- Names with an edge
- all guides
Where Hendrix and Santino each sit in the library — alternatives in the same style, ranked by the same records.
Hendrix or Santino — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Hendrix or Santino?
- Santino, in 2025: Santino ranked #353 with 934 babies; Hendrix ranked #354 with 933 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Hendrix or Santino?
- Santino. Over the last five years Hendrix moved down 71 places; Santino moved up 92 places.
- Which is the older name, Hendrix or Santino?
- Hendrix entered the US charts in 1885; Santino entered the US charts in 1913. On the American record, Hendrix is the older name.
- How many people are named Hendrix and Santino?
- About 13,500 people named Hendrix are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 13,500 people named Santino are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Hendrixs or Santinos in the classroom?
- Hendrix will almost certainly be the only one in school. Santino will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
Keep playing
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