DeSantis
An Italian surname meaning “of the saint” or “from the saints,” originally marking a family’s devotion or connection to a saint’s name.
The #3,530 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 30,517 Americans shares it.
Etymology
DeSantis is an Italian surname built from the preposition de (“of, from”) plus santi, the plural of santo (“saint”). In practice, it usually points to a family name connected with a saint’s feast, a church dedication, or a devotional byname, rather than a literal claim of descent from saints. In some cases the form may also reflect a place-name or a shortened phrase such as de Santis / dei Santi in local Italian usage.
History
The surname is found in Italy and among Italian diaspora communities, especially in the Americas. Like many Italian surnames formed from religious expressions, it often became fixed as a hereditary family name in the late medieval or early modern period. Modern spellings vary in capitalization and spacing, including De Santis and DeSantis.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Because Italian surnames were often standardized later, the same family line may appear in records both as De Santis and DeSantis.