Find out how popular the last name Carstens is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Carstens.

Carstens, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Carstens surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Carstens in America

Carstens is the 10095th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Carstens surname appeared 3,190 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Carstens.

We can also compare 2010 data for Carstens to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Carstens

The surname Carstens is of Germanic origin and can be traced back to northern Germany and the Netherlands. It is derived from the Old German personal name Carsten or Karsten, which itself is a contracted form of the name Christen or Christian. The name was likely first adopted as a surname by the descendants or followers of someone bearing the given name Carsten or Karsten.

The earliest recorded instances of the Carstens surname date back to the 16th century in regions such as Holstein, Schleswig, and Friesland. One of the earliest documented examples is Hans Carstens, who was mentioned in records from the city of Flensburg, Schleswig-Holstein, in the year 1524.

In the Netherlands, the name was sometimes spelled as Carstensz or Carstensen, reflecting regional variations in spelling and pronunciation. One notable bearer of the name was Hendrik Carstensz, a Dutch navigator and explorer who lived from around 1580 to 1628. He is best known for his explorations of the coastline of western and northern Australia, which he charted in the early 17th century.

Another prominent figure with the Carstens surname was Sir Edgar Carstens, a British military officer and colonial administrator who lived from 1857 to 1932. He served as the Governor of Tasmania from 1909 to 1913 and later as the Governor of the Leeward Islands from 1913 to 1917.

In the field of art, the name is associated with Asmus Jacob Carstens, a Danish-German painter and illustrator who lived from 1754 to 1798. He is regarded as one of the leading figures of the Neoclassical movement in Germany and is particularly known for his illustrations inspired by Greek mythology and classical literature.

Another notable bearer of the Carstens surname was Johann August Ephraim Gotthold Carstens, a German theologian and scholar who lived from 1752 to 1830. He was a prominent figure in the Lutheran Church and served as a professor of theology at the University of Rostock.

While the Carstens surname has its roots in northern Germany and the Netherlands, it has since spread to other parts of Europe and beyond, with bearers of the name found in countries such as the United States, Canada, and Australia.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Carstens

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Carstens.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Carstens was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Carstens has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Carstens was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Carstens, please contact us.

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