Santos
Masculine · “saints”
Santos is given to both — 18,814 boys and 2,759 girls since 1880. See Santos as a girl nameSee other names given to both
Santos is a plural, and the plural is the point. It does not mean a saint but all of them at once — the feast of All Saints, which in Spanish is Todos los Santos, and which is what a child given this name is named for.
How old is the name Santos?
Santos was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Santos alive today was born around 1986, making them about 39 years old. About 15,000 people named Santos are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Santos most popular?
Santos peaked in 1906, reaching #523 nationally. Today it ranks #763, 240 places below that high. See the whole 1906 chart.
Where it comes from
From sanctus to Santos
The story of Santos
Catholic naming in Spain and Latin America draws on feasts as readily as on saints, and the feast names behave differently from the personal ones: Natividad for the Nativity, Concepcion for the Immaculate Conception, Asuncion for the Assumption, Santos for All Saints. A child born on or near the day might be given it, and it is used for both sexes in some regions. It is also a very common surname, which means a Santos Santos is entirely possible and not unusual. The record carries it in America from the first year of the count, concentrated where Spanish-speaking families settled.
Meaning
saints
The Spanish and Portuguese plural of santo. As a given name it refers to the feast rather than to any individual saint, which is why it is not a name of anybody in particular.
How the name formed
- sanctus
- santo
- Santos
Related forms: Santos · Santo · Santiago
Pronouncing Santos
SAHN-tohs
Two syllables with the weight at the front. Spanish says it the same way; American English often adds a z sound at the end.
Nicknames for Santos
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1880
- Most boys named
- 2025337 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #523reached in 1906
- Change vs 2022
- +21.7%337 in 2025, from 277
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Santos in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Santos in Portuguese — same name
- Santo in Italian — related form
- Santiago in Spanish — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Texas, Arizona.
Santoss among us
people named Santos are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 5,068 born in 2025 was named Santos
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Santos is on its second act. Revived names age gently: the generation that wore them first is far enough away that the name feels classic rather than dated.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Santos is headed
Santos should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
High confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Santos beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Santos in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- It is instantly recognized across the Spanish and Portuguese-speaking world.
- The meaning is settled and the reference is a fixed date in the calendar.
- Every sound in it is easy for an English speaker.
- It is also one of the commonest surnames in the Spanish-speaking world.
- It reads as a devotional name, which carries a religious assumption some families may not want.
- The spelling is recorded for a small number of girls, though it reads overwhelmingly as a boy's name.
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What they receive
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Santos
Masculine · #763 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Santoss are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 15,000 people named Santos are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Santos in 2025?
- Santos ranks #763 among US boy names in 2025, with 337 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Santos?
- About 1 in every 5,068 US boys born in 2025 was named Santos — 337 in all.
- Will my child share the name Santos with classmates?
- Santos will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Santos
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Campbell#763 · Magnus#763 · Abdullah#763 · Ayan#762 · Dario#760 · Mustafa#760 · Izael#767 · Brayan#768
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Santos? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Santos and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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