How to say it
san · TI · no
/sɑːnˈtiː.noʊ/
Masculine
Santino
Little saint
What it means
Italian, a diminutive of Santo, 'saint,' from the Latin sanctus, 'holy.'
Santino is the Italian little-one form of Santo, 'saint,' from Latin sanctus, 'holy.' It is warm and unmistakably Italian, and it surged on the back of the Italian-name wave. Its most famous bearer is fictional: Santino 'Sonny' Corleone, the hot-headed eldest son in The Godfather, which is also where the nickname Sonny comes from. Tino is the other short.
Popularity over time
peaked at #353 in 2025, currently #353 in 2025.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, names given to at least 5 babies in a year, 1880–present. See where the names are moving
Heads-up notes
- Nickname
Sonny and Tino both come from it.
- Pop culture
Santino 'Sonny' Corleone of The Godfather is the defining bearer.
Who's worn it
Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.
- Santino Corleone the eldest Corleone son, 'Sonny,' in The Godfather
Spelling variants
- Santo
- Santiago
- Sandro
Names with the same feeling
See Santino from another angle
By meaning
By style