Saint

Meaning & origin●

Attested across 12 languages in the etymology graph.

Languages●

Language is read off each record's context, not declared by the bearer; a share is of all records for this spelling.

Other names spelled this way◐

Saint is also recorded as 4 other names, grouped separately because the records behind them do not connect to the one described above.

• English surname80K records spelled Saint19 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, Barbados, United Kingdom, Australia

  Languages: English, German, Dutch

  Also written Sáint, Saińţ, Sãîñt, Sâíñt, Sâïnt

• Spanish surname26K records spelled Saint13 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Mexico, Panama, Dominican Republic, Colombia

  Also written Saint', Saínt, Saiñt, Sãiñt, Såiñt

• Hindi name19K records spelled Saint7 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh

  Languages: Hindi, Urdu, Bangla

  Also written Sâïnt

• a separate name10K records spelled Saint2 spellings in the group

84 further groups record this spelling and are not listed here.

Grouping is the name graph's, not a register's: two spellings join a group when the evidence links them, so a group is a claim about the records rather than about the people.

Other recorded senses●

Saint is also recorded in 5 other lexicons, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.

• In English, medieval nickname for a pious person

  as a name·Encyclopedia of surnames [the complete companion to tracing your names history]

• In English, From ME seint/saint, AFr seint, OFr sant 'saint'; nickname; first attested Roger le Sent c1250 Riev (Y)

  as a name·A Dictionary of English Surnames

• In French, a male saint; masculine of sainte

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

• In Irish, greed, avarice, covetousness

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

• In enm, alternative form of seynt

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

Ordered by how much of this spelling's record each language holds, so a sense from a language the name is barely used in sits last rather than first.

Over time●

US SSA — National Baby Names (1880–present) — 89 years between 1891–2025. One register's own figures, never a sum across registers: two registers counting the same people would double them.

Notable people with this name●

• Emmanuel Marie Michel Philippe Fréteau de Saint-Justb. 1745FRFrench revolutionary
• Lucien Saintb. 1867FRFrench politician (1867–1938)
• Eva Marie Saintb. 1924USAmerican actress (born 1924)
• Gérard Saintb. 1935FRroad bicycle racer (1935–1960)
• Gonzague Saint-Brisb. 1948FRFrench journalist and writer (1948-2017)
• Lori Saint-Martinb. 1959CACanadian writer and translator (1959–2022)
• Silvia Saintb. 1976CZCzech pornographic actress
• Olivia Saintb. 1979USAmerican pornographic actress
• Samantha Saintb. 1987USAmerican pornographic actress
• Saint Westb. 2015USSon of Kanye West and Kim Kardashian

The ten people covered by the most Wikipedia language editions — a proxy for cross-cultural notability, which favours historical and Western figures over equally prominent contemporary ones — shown by birth year. Source: Wikidata (CC0).

Evidence●

Register rows as of the 2026-09-12 data build · 365 rows in the corpus for this spelling.

Frequently asked questions

How common is the name Saint?

We estimate roughly 3.8 thousand people bear Saint (counting its spellings and scripts) across 9 countries in our records.

In which country does Saint have the most bearers?

Saint is most frequently recorded in Réunion, where it is most often spelled saint.

What does the name Saint mean?

Recorded meaning: A deceased person whom a church or another religious group has officially recognised as especially holy or godly; one eminent for piety and virtue.