Santiago
A surname taken from the Spanish and Portuguese personal name Santiago, originally meaning Saint James.
The #248 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 2,526 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Santiago is the Spanish and Portuguese form of the name of Saint James. It goes back to medieval Latin Sanctus Iacobus, literally “Saint James,” with the two words often fused in Spanish into Santiago. As a surname, it usually began as a name taken from devotion to the saint, from a place-name, or from association with someone called Santiago.
History
The name became especially common in the Iberian world because of the great pilgrimage center of Santiago de Compostela. In Spanish-speaking countries it spread widely as both a given name and a surname, and it is now especially familiar in the Americas. Some family lines may also be locational, referring to places named after Saint James.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The city of Santiago de Compostela helped make Santiago one of the best-known saint-based names in the Iberian world.
From the historical record
“SANTIAGO IMP. LAS ARTES MECANICAS, SAN ALFONSO 47 1907 ADVERTENCIA Esta obra se dividirá en tres partes.”
— Diccionario de los apellidos