The Italian surname Santoro is derived from the medieval name Santorus, which in turn arose from the Latin term Sanctorum Omnium, meaning all saints.
Santoro is considered a patronymic surname, that is, it originates from the name of the father or other ascendant. In the Middle Ages, Saints ou Santoro was adopted as a given name and only later became identified as a family name, to designate the “Son of Mr. Santoro”.
Santoro in Italy and around the world
According to the Italian website Cognomix, there are 10.429 Santoro families in Italy, with the largest concentration in the south-central region of the country, more specifically in Puglia, with 2.409 families, in Campania (1.864) and in Sicilia (1.356).
According to the website Forebears, the countries where the surname is most popular in the world are Italy, the United States, Argentina, Brazil and France.
Geographical distribution of the surname in Italy:
Popularity
The main variants of this surname are Santorini, present mainly in the regions of Lazio and Brands, Santorelli, very popular in Nápoles, and Santoriello, typical of the provinces of Salerno and also from Nápoles.
This surname is the fourth most popular in the region of Puglia, the third most common in the province of Taranto and the most popular in the municipality of Salerno, a small Italian town close to Naples, in Amalfi Coast.
Santoro in Brazil
The surname arrived in Brazil at the end of the 19th century with the first Italian immigrants. The pioneer family was that of Arcangelo Di Santoro, who disembarked in Santos in Oriane steam, on June 11, 1885.
Another name is Antonio Santoro, who arrived on November 21, 1888. In addition to those who arrived in São Paulo, there are representatives of the surname also in Holy Spirit, where the family of Filinto disembarked on June 5, 1895, in Vitória, in ship Rosario.
The Santorelli family also arrived in Brazil, represented by the immigrant Giuseppe Santorelli, who landed in Santos in 1890.
Biographies
The best-known personality of the family in Brazil is undoubtedly the actor Rodrigo Santoro, who became known for soap operas, miniseries and special programs on TV Globo and later had a career in cinema, including in Hollywood films and series.
Among the highlights of his CV are the miniseries Hilda Furacão (1988), the soap opera Women in Love (2003), the film Bicho de Sete Cabeças (2001), the film 300 (2006) and the series Westworld (2016-2022).
In the world of classical music, Brazil has... Duo Santoro, which in 2022 celebrates 31 years of activity. The duo is formed by the cellist brothers Ricardo and Paulo, sons of the Italian double bassist Sandrino Santoro, who was born in Calabria and arrived in Brazil in the early 1950s to work and build his Musical career.
There are two generations of the family united by love of music and Brazil, the country they adopted as home and inspiration to practice your art.
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