Chastelyn
A feminine name derived from the French root "chastel," meaning "castle or fortress."
Name Census estimates that about 156 living Americans carry the first name Chastelyn. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Chastelyn today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Chastelyn births was 2009 (150 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Chastelyn. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
156
~ 1 in 2,197,143 Americans
Peak year
2009
150 babies that year
Average age
17
years old
2010 SSA rank
#12,525
Tracked since 2009
Popularity
Chastelyn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Chastelyn from the 2000s through to the 2010s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 150 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Chastelyn by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Chastelyn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Chastelyns live
The SSA's state-level files cover 8 states and territories. California, Texas, North Carolina recorded the most babies named Chastelyn, while Florida, Arizona, Georgia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 12 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Chastelyn
The given name Chastelyn originated from the Old French language during the Middle Ages. It is a feminine form derived from the masculine name Chastelain, which translates to "castellan" or "keeper of a castle." The name can be traced back to the 12th century in regions of present-day France.
Chastelyn was a popular name among the French nobility, as it held connotations of authority and status. The name may have been inspired by the roles and titles associated with medieval castles and fortifications. Some variations of the spelling included Chastellayn, Chasteleyn, and Chasteleyne.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Chastelyn appeared in a medieval French romance tale from the 13th century, "Roman de la Rose." In this work, a character named Chastelyn was depicted as a virtuous and noble woman, emphasizing the name's positive associations.
Throughout history, several notable figures bore the name Chastelyn. In the 14th century, Chastelyn de Laval (1310-1378) was a French noblewoman and the wife of Bertrand du Guesclin, a renowned military leader during the Hundred Years' War. Another prominent figure was Chastelyn de Beaumont (1420-1492), a French courtier and lady-in-waiting to Queen Anne of Brittany.
During the Renaissance period, Chastelyn de Montmorency (1528-1588) was a French noblewoman known for her patronage of the arts and her influential salon in Paris. In the 17th century, Chastelyn de Sévigné (1626-1696) was a celebrated French aristocrat and writer, renowned for her witty and insightful letters that provided a glimpse into the life of the French nobility.
In the 18th century, Chastelyn de La Bruyère (1745-1823) was a French philosopher and moralist who wrote the influential work "Les Caractères." Her insights into human nature and society made her a prominent figure during the Enlightenment era.
The name Chastelyn has a rich historical legacy, evoking notions of nobility, virtue, and cultural significance. Its origins in Old French and its association with the medieval aristocracy have contributed to its enduring appeal throughout the centuries.
People
Chastelyn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Chastelyn as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Chastelyn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Chastelyn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 156 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Chastelyn going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 2,197,143 US residents.
Is Chastelyn a common name?
We classify Chastelyn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 70.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 158 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Chastelyn most popular?
The single biggest year for Chastelyn was 2009, when 150 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Chastelyn is about 17 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Chastelyn in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Chastelyn a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Chastelyn in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Chastelyn still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Chastelyn in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Chastelyn can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have the name Chastelyn?
Want to know how many people have the name Chastelyn? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.