Santos

also Dos Santos

Of the saints — for the feast of All Saints.

Origin: Portuguese
Register: Portuguese family

The seat of Santos

Seat vacant

Chief

No one leads the Santos community yet. When the movement opens, you can stand for its leadership, or help elect whoever does.

Current mission

No shared goal set yet. Once Santos has leadership, it sets the public focus: a restoration, a gathering, a real-world project that helps its own.

The Santos clan is being rebuilt. Join the waiting list for the movement today, and you help decide who leads it and what it does.

Help rebuild the Santos clan →

What does the Santos name mean?

Devotional — from santos, 'saints', in the form dos Santos, 'of the saints' (for the feast of All Saints, or a child born to it). Second only to Silva across the Portuguese world.

The history of Santos

Dos Santos points to Todos os Santos, All Saints' Day, the great feast taken as a surname by the devout and by children born under it — the Portuguese cousin of the Spanish devotional names like Cruz and Reyes. Behind only Silva in Portugal and Brazil alike, it is one of the pillars of the Lusophone name-stock.

Explore With Your Ancestors · Beta

Chat with your Santos ancestorsWalk in →

Pick any year from 500 to 1945 and any place on earth — the Santos country, or a shore no Santos ever reached. The chronicler sets the scene; the deeds are yours.

Frequently asked

What does the surname Santos mean?

Devotional — from santos, 'saints', in the form dos Santos, 'of the saints' (for the feast of All Saints, or a child born to it). Second only to Silva across the Portuguese world. Dos Santos points to Todos os Santos, All Saints' Day, the great feast taken as a surname by the devout and by children born under it — the Portuguese cousin of the Spanish devotional names like Cruz and Reyes.

Is Santos a Portuguese surname?

Yes, Santos is a Portuguese surname. Its editorial home in this atlas is Portuguese, where the historical territory and family record of the name are concentrated.

How old is the Santos surname?

Dos Santos points to Todos os Santos, All Saints' Day, the great feast taken as a surname by the devout and by children born under it — the Portuguese cousin of the Spanish devotional names like Cruz and Reyes. European hereditary surnames crystallised broadly between the 12th and 14th centuries, and the Santos name took its modern form within that long settlement.

What is the Santos family known for?

Of the saints — for the feast of All Saints. Dos Santos points to Todos os Santos, All Saints' Day, the great feast taken as a surname by the devout and by children born under it — the Portuguese cousin of the Spanish devotional names like Cruz and Reyes.

Is Dos Santos the same family as Santos?

Yes. Dos Santos is a historical spelling variant of the Santos name. The two share the same lineage and family affiliation; different parishes, clerks and migration registrars recorded the same name in slightly different forms, and the variant spellings sit on the same family tree.

Where is the Santos surname found today?

Portuguese is the primary historical home of the Santos surname. In the modern era, the name is also borne across the wider diaspora, particularly in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, where families carry the line of descent from the same Portuguese origin recorded on this page.

What does the Clan Rising page for the Santos family cover?

The Clan Rising page for the Santos family covers the meaning of the surname, the historical geography of the name and the seat of the head of the family. Each section is linked to the underlying atlas of Portuguese so the name can be read in the geography that shaped it.

Who is the head of the Santos family today?

The seat for the head of the Santos family is currently vacant on this register. Clan Rising is rebuilding the chief and family structure for the modern era, and the family page allows readers to claim the seat or pledge to the name.