Where the Santoro surname comes from
Santoro comes from the medieval name Santorus, born from the feast of All Saints. In Latin it was Sanctorum Omnium, “of all the saints.” It was the name given to children born on November 1, or baptized around that day.
The son of a Santoro became “Santoro’s,” and the father’s name turned into a surname. It’s the same custom that gave us surnames like Natale and Pasquale. The PDF explains what that name wished for a newborn.
A surname with the scent of faith
Born from a religious feast, the surname has been carried by many men of the Church. In the 1500s a Santoro from Caserta rose to the top of the Church of his day. Four centuries later another left as a missionary for the Black Sea. Their stories are in the PDF.
Where the Santoros live today
Santoro is a surname of the South, with its heart in Apulia and Campania, and then in Sicily. There are about 14,900 families in Italy. In Apulia it’s among the top surnames in the region, especially in the province of Brindisi. The town where it ranks number one is in Calabria: Fuscaldo, on the Tyrrhenian coast. The region-by-region map and the countries around the world they reached are in the PDF.
Variants
Alongside Santoro live two smaller forms, one from central Italy and a diminutive from Campania. The PDF explains where each one comes from.
| Surname | Where it is concentrated |
|---|---|
| Santoro | Apulia, Campania, Sicily |
| Santori | Lazio, Marche, Tuscany |
| Santorelli | Campania, Umbria, Lazio |
FAQ
What does the surname Santoro mean?
It comes from the medieval name Santorus, born from the feast of All Saints, “of all the saints.” It was given to children born on November 1, then became a family name.
Is Santoro a surname from Apulia?
It’s mostly from Apulia and Campania: in Apulia it’s among the top surnames in the region. It’s also common in Sicily, and the town where it ranks number one, Fuscaldo, is in Calabria.
Are Santoro and Santori the same surname?
They share the same origin. Santori is the form ending in -i from central Italy. In old documents the same person may appear as Santori, Santoro or Santorio.
Are all Santoros related?
No. In many towns there was a Santoro who passed his name on to his children, and two Santoro families can have completely different stories. To trace your own you need birth records and parish registers.
Is the Santoro surname noble?
The surname itself is not a sign of nobility. It comes from a common first name. The archives record a few noble Santoro families, but the vast majority of Santoros never had any title.
Is there a Santoro family coat of arms?
The archives record noble Santoro families in Molfetta, Lecce and Messina, each with a different coat of arms. There is no coat of arms that belongs to all Santoros.
Why was Santoro given to children born on November 1?
For centuries children were named after the saint or the feast of the day they were born. November 1 is All Saints’ Day, the feast of all the saints together.
