Cast last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Cast

A surname possibly derived from an occupational term meaning "thrower," referring to a caster or thrower of stones or implements.

Cast, 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 Cast surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cast in America

Cast is the 20937th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cast surname appeared 1,258 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Cast.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cast 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.

20102000Change (%)
Rank20937195876.66%
Count1,2581,274-1.26%
Proportion per 100k0.430.47-8.89%

The history of the last name Cast

The surname CAST is of English origin and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word 'caste', meaning a throw or a cast, and was likely an occupational surname given to someone who worked as a thrower or caster, perhaps someone involved in casting fishing nets or throwing weapons.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname CAST can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, which mentions a person named Ralph le Caste. The surname also appears in various other medieval records, such as the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1296, which lists a John Caste.

The CAST surname may also have been influenced by place names, as it is similar to the village of Caste in Gloucestershire, England. Some early bearers of the name may have hailed from or resided near this location.

Notable individuals bearing the surname CAST throughout history include John Cast (c. 1385-1456), an English clergyman and scholar who served as the Chancellor of the University of Cambridge. Another significant figure was Sir Walter Cast (c. 1550-1618), a prominent English landowner and Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

In the 17th century, Richard Cast (1619-1688) was a prominent English merchant and benefactor who donated funds for the construction of a new church in his hometown of Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. Later, in the 19th century, William Cast (1816-1892) was a renowned English architect who designed several notable buildings, including the Devonshire Park complex in Eastbourne.

One of the most famous bearers of the CAST surname was the English actor and playwright, Cyril Cast (1891-1971), who had a prolific career on stage and in films. He is particularly remembered for his starring roles in several Shakespearean productions and his portrayal of Ebenezer Scrooge in various adaptations of "A Christmas Carol".

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cast

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

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 Cast was:

Race/EthnicityPercentageTotal Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only81.56%1,026
Non-Hispanic Black Only5.56%70
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only0.72%9
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native1.11%14
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races1.35%17
Hispanic Origin9.70%122

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 Cast has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

20102000Change (%)
White81.56%84.69%-3.77%
Black5.56%5.18%7.08%
Asian and Pacific Islander0.72%(S)%(S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native1.11%(S)%(S)%
Two or More Races1.35%1.33%1.49%
Hispanic9.70%7.46%26.11%

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 Cast was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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