Well, gee… if you’re going to spoil my story with the facts…
(Frankly, I saw the Santa and assumed. I guess I thought maybe Tina Fey had been canonized?)
San Dimas, CA. St. Hedwig, TX.
Wyld Stallyns RULE!!! headbangs
Here’s a list of the bigger towns in California. Go wild.
California also has Santa Ana (Saint Anne) and Santa Monica (Saint Monica). “Santa” is just the feminine version of “San”.
Puerto Rico has San Juan (Saint John), San German (Saint Germain), San Lorenzo (Saint Laurence), San Sebastian (Saint Sebastian), and Santa Isabel (Saint Elizabeth).
Even with Santa Fe out of the running, there are still a few in New Mexico:
Saint Vrain
San Acacia
San Antonio
San Jose
San Lorenzo
San Rafael
San Cristobal
San Felipe
San Fidel
San Jose
San Lorenzo
San Miguel
San Rafael
Santa Ana
San Jon
San Jose
San Juan
San Lorenzo
San Mateo
San Miguel
San Patricio
San Pedro
San Rafael
San Ysidro
Santa Ana
Santa Clara
Santa Rosa
Santa Teresa
Santo Domingo (the pueblo was recently renamed “Kewa”, so this may not count)
Santo Tomas
I imagine most of the places that were originally colonized by the Spanish will have a similar list.
Can’t you just go along the coast and figure out which day of the year the Spanish explorers sighted each topographic feature by the associated saint name?
Not at all! Re-read the OP! He didn’t say anything about cities named after saints. He just asked for cities named with “Saint” or “San” – And it was Saint Maggie the Ocelot in post #3 who extended the discussion to include “Santa”.
There are a LOT of repeated names in that list! San Rafael and San Lorenzo, for example, are each listed THREE times, and many other are there twice.
A great many of those same names are also present in California too (although once only, here).
Never heard of that, nor thought of it.
Ya think?
Whoops! I had seven repeats in there - I’m sorry! That’s what happens when you don’t proofread properly, kids.
However, that still leaves 23 New Mexico communities (“city” is too fancy a word for most of these places) with saints’ names.
From a complete list of US post offices I put up for my fellow placename researchers:
SAINT AGATHA ME
SAINT ALBANS ME
SAINT ALBANS MO
SAINT ALBANS VT
SAINT ALBANS WV
SAINT ALBANS BAY VT
SAINT AMANT LA
SAINT ANN MO
SAINT ANNE IL
SAINT ANSGAR IA
SAINT ANTHONY ID
SAINT ANTHONY IN
SAINT ANTHONY IA
SAINT AUGUSTINE FL
SAINT AUGUSTINE IL
SAINT BENEDICT LA
SAINT BENEDICT OR
SAINT BENEDICT PA
SAINT BERNARD LA
SAINT BERNICE IN
SAINT BONAVENTURE NY
SAINT BONIFACE PA
SAINT BONIFACIUS MN
SAINT CATHARINE KY
SAINT CHARLES AR
SAINT CHARLES ID
SAINT CHARLES IL
SAINT CHARLES IA
SAINT CHARLES KY
SAINT CHARLES MI
SAINT CHARLES MN
SAINT CHARLES MO
SAINT CHARLES VA
SAINT CLAIR MI
SAINT CLAIR MN
SAINT CLAIR MO
SAINT CLAIR PA
SAINT CLAIR SHORES MI
SAINT CLAIRSVILLE OH
SAINT CLOUD FL
SAINT CLOUD MN
SAINT CLOUD WI
SAINT COLUMBANS NE
SAINT CROIX IN
SAINT CROIX FALLS WI
SAINT DAVID AZ
SAINT DAVID IL
SAINT DAVID ME
SAINT DAVIDS CHURCH VA
SAINT DONATUS IA
SAINT EDWARD NE
SAINT ELIZABETH MO
SAINT ELMO AL
SAINT ELMO IL
SAINT FRANCIS AR
SAINT FRANCIS KS
SAINT FRANCIS KY
SAINT FRANCIS ME
SAINT FRANCIS MN
SAINT FRANCIS SD
SAINT FRANCISVILLE IL
SAINT FRANCISVILLE LA
SAINT GABRIEL LA
SAINT GEORGE GA
SAINT GEORGE KS
SAINT GEORGE SC
SAINT GEORGE UT
SAINT GEORGES DE
SAINT GERMAIN WI
SAINT HEDWIG TX
SAINT HELEN MI
SAINT HELENA CA
SAINT HELENA NE
SAINT HELENAS ISLAND SC
SAINT HELENS KY
SAINT HELENS OR
SAINT HENRY OH
SAINT HILAIRE MN
SAINT IGNACE MI
SAINT IGNATIUS MT
SAINT INIGOES MD
SAINT JACOB IL
SAINT JAMES LA
SAINT JAMES MD
SAINT JAMES MN
SAINT JAMES MO
SAINT JAMES NY
SAINT JAMES CITY FL
SAINT JO TX
SAINT JOE AR
SAINT JOE IN
SAINT JOHN IN
SAINT JOHN KS
SAINT JOHN ND
SAINT JOHN WA
SAINT JOHNS AZ
SAINT JOHNS MI
SAINT JOHNS OH
SAINT JOHNS PA
SAINT JOHNSBURY VT
SAINT JOHNSBURY CENTER VT
SAINT JOHNSVILLE NY
SAINT JOSEPH IL
SAINT JOSEPH LA
SAINT JOSEPH MI
SAINT JOSEPH MN
SAINT JOSEPH MO
SAINT JOSEPH TN
SAINT JOSEPHS NY
SAINT LANDRY LA
SAINT LAWRENCE SD
SAINT LEO FL
SAINT LEONARD MD
SAINT LIBORY IL
SAINT LIBORY NE
SAINT LOUIS MI
SAINT LOUIS MO
SAINT LOUIS OK
SAINT LOUISVILLE OH
SAINT LUCAS IA
SAINT MARIES ID
SAINT MARKS FL
SAINT MARTIN MN
SAINT MARTINVILLE LA
SAINT MARY KY
SAINT MARY OF THE WOODS IN
SAINT MARYS AK
SAINT MARYS GA
SAINT MARYS IA
SAINT MARYS KS
SAINT MARYS MO
SAINT MARYS OH
SAINT MARYS PA
SAINT MARYS WV
SAINT MARYS CITY MD
SAINT MATTHEWS SC
SAINT MAURICE LA
SAINT MEINRAD IN
SAINT MICHAEL AK
SAINT MICHAEL MN
SAINT MICHAEL ND
SAINT MICHAEL PA
SAINT MICHAELS AZ
SAINT MICHAELS MD
SAINT NAZIANZ WI
SAINT OLAF IA
SAINT ONGE SD
SAINT PARIS OH
SAINT PATRICK MO
SAINT PAUL AR
SAINT PAUL IN
SAINT PAUL KS
SAINT PAUL MN
SAINT PAUL NE
SAINT PAUL OR
SAINT PAUL VA
SAINT PAUL ISLAND AK
SAINT PAUL PARK MN
SAINT PAULS NC
SAINT PETER IL
SAINT PETER MN
SAINT PETERS MO
SAINT PETERS PA
SAINT PETERSBURG FL
SAINT PETERSBURG PA
SAINT REGIS MT
SAINT REGIS FALLS NY
SAINT ROSE LA
SAINT STEPHEN SC
SAINT STEPHENS AL
SAINT STEPHENS WY
SAINT STEPHENS CHURCH VA
SAINT THOMAS MO
SAINT THOMAS ND
SAINT THOMAS PA
SAN ACACIA NM
SAN ANDREAS CA
SAN ANGELO TX
SAN ANSELMO CA
SAN ANTONIO FL
SAN ANTONIO NM
SAN ANTONIO TX
SAN ARDO CA
SAN AUGUSTINE TX
SAN BENITO TX
SAN BERNARDINO CA
SAN BRUNO CA
SAN CARLOS AZ
SAN CARLOS CA
SAN CLEMENTE CA
SAN CRISTOBAL NM
SAN DIEGO CA
SAN DIEGO TX
SAN DIMAS CA
SAN ELIZARIO TX
SAN FELIPE TX
SAN FERNANDO CA
SAN FIDEL NM
SAN FRANCISCO CA
SAN GABRIEL CA
SAN GERONIMO CA
SAN GREGORIO CA
SAN ISIDRO TX
SAN JACINTO CA
SAN JOAQUIN CA
SAN JON NM
SAN JOSE CA
SAN JOSE IL
SAN JOSE NM
SAN JUAN TX
SAN JUAN BAUTISTA CA
SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO CA
SAN JUAN PUEBLO NM
SAN LEANDRO CA
SAN LORENZO CA
SAN LUCAS CA
SAN LUIS AZ
SAN LUIS CO
SAN LUIS OBISPO CA
SAN MANUEL AZ
SAN MARCOS CA
SAN MARCOS TX
SAN MARTIN CA
SAN MATEO CA
SAN MATEO FL
SAN MIGUEL CA
SAN MIGUEL NM
SAN PATRICIO NM
SAN PEDRO CA
SAN PERLITA TX
SAN PIERRE IN
SAN QUENTIN CA
SAN RAFAEL CA
SAN RAFAEL NM
SAN RAMON CA
SAN SABA TX
SAN SIMEON CA
SAN SIMON AZ
SAN YGNACIO TX
SAN YSIDRO NM
SANTA ANA CA
SANTA ANNA TX
SANTA BARBARA CA
SANTA CLARA CA
SANTA CLARA NM
SANTA CLARA UT
SANTA CLARITA CA
SANTA CLAUS IN
SANTA CRUZ CA
SANTA CRUZ NM
SANTA ELENA TX
SANTA FE MO
SANTA FE NM
SANTA FE TN
SANTA FE TX
SANTA FE SPRINGS CA
SANTA MARGARITA CA
SANTA MARIA CA
SANTA MARIA TX
SANTA MONICA CA
SANTA PAULA CA
SANTA RITA PARK CA
SANTA ROSA CA
SANTA ROSA NM
SANTA ROSA TX
SANTA ROSA BEACH FL
SANTA YNEZ CA
SANTA YSABEL CA
There’s also a town in Texas named Santo, which is Spanish for Saint or Holy–maybe the Spanish missionaries couldn’t decide what holy object or which saint to name it for?
So “Santa Claus” is just a girl in male drag. My gosh.
…del Río de la Porciúncula…
I must say, whomever came up with the name sure liked a mouthful.
It’s not “a saint” but it’s something that’s “saint”.
Not every time, but it’s a good guess; sometimes it gets superseded by a Saint that’s popular with the Order which first settled the area (such as several St Augustines). There are other things which were named by the date method but which are not as easily evident as the ones with “Saint” in the name, such as Florida: the explorers landed, got water and held Mass on Pascua Florida (Easter).
Note that not every Saint-place is named for a saint. Case in point is St Helens OR. It was named for the volcano, which in turn was named for some British dude.
And the British dude for a saint.
No, British dude got his title from a town, St Helensin Lancashire (now Merseyside). The town got its name from St Elyn who had a chapel there.
OK, so there was another step: my point stands, that the name eventually came from a saint.
Oh yes, you’re right of course. I was just interested the multiple steps 
There’s also the abbreviation “ste”, which occurs in Sault Ste. Marie, MI. Of course, this is derived from the French “Sainte”, rather than Spanish. In this case, “Sault Sainte-Marie” is “The rapids of Saint Mary”, referring to the Saint Mary’s River.
ETA:
Oh, somebody caught it already. I missed it.