Given name & surname
Santana
“a saintly woman”·“a saintly man”
Santana is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “a saintly woman” (Spanish) and “a saintly man” (Spanish). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “a saintly woman” (Spanish) and “a saintly man” (Spanish). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Spanish.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1910. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Santana through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 13,726
- 7,785 boys · 5,941 girls
- Most popular year
- 2021
- 654 babies
- 2025
- 377
- #855 for boys · #2,060 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +6%
- Steady
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 75% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 285 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 855 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 7.0% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. It also appeared in 92 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (54). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 9,527 as a first name in 2020; 64,579 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Santana’s family of names
Santana has a related form in Santa. Santana has a related form in Santanna. Santana has a related form in Shantana.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 16
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
People named Santana
- Santana GarrettAmerican professional wrestler, valet and modelborn 1988
- Santana MossAmerican football player, wide receiverborn 1979
Characters named Santana: Santana Lopez (the television series Glee).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
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