2000
#124,109
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Castain
A locational surname derived from a place name originating from the Latin "castanea" meaning chestnut tree.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Castain. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Castain surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Castain in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Castain, the largest self-reported group is Black at 40.5%. The next largest groups are White (26.7%) and Two or More Races (19.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Castain
The surname Castain is believed to have originated in France during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old French word "chastain," which translates to "chestnut" and referred to the deep reddish-brown color of chestnut trees. This name was likely given as a descriptive nickname to someone with chestnut-colored hair or a darker complexion.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Castain can be found in the Cartulaire de l'abbaye de Saint-Père de Chartres, a medieval cartulary from the 12th century, where it is spelled as "Chastain." This suggests that the name was already in use in the Chartres region of northern France during that time.
In the 13th century, the name appears in various forms, such as "Chastayng" and "Chastaing," in historical records from the Limousin region of central France. This area was known for its chestnut forests, further reinforcing the connection between the name and the chestnut tree.
One notable bearer of the Castain name was Jean Chastaigner, a French nobleman and military leader who lived in the 15th century. He served as the Lord of Rouillac and played a significant role in the Hundred Years' War between England and France.
Another historical figure with this surname was René Castain, a 16th-century French scholar and humanist. He was born in Nantes in 1510 and gained recognition for his writings on classical literature and philosophy.
In the 17th century, the name appears in various spellings, such as "Castaing" and "Castain," in records from the Languedoc region of southern France. One notable bearer from this time was Jean-Baptiste de Castaing, a French nobleman and military officer who served under Louis XIV.
As the name spread throughout France, it also found its way to other parts of Europe and eventually to the Americas through French immigration. One example is François Castain, a French settler who arrived in Quebec, Canada, in the late 17th century and established a family line in the region.
While the Castain surname has its roots in France, it has since become more widely distributed globally, with bearers of the name found in various countries and cultures around the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Castain
Among Census respondents with the surname Castain, the largest self-reported group is Black at 40.5%. The next largest groups are White (26.7%) and Two or More Races (19.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Castain bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Castain surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American40.5% · 47
- White26.7% · 31
- Two or more races19.0% · 22
- Hispanic or Latino8.6% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Castain
Castain appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#129,047
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 132
+4 bearers (+3.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,938 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-16 bearers (-12.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,981 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,109 | 128 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #129,047 | 132 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.1%) | Down 4,938 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -16 bearers (-12.1%) | Down 15,981 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Castain surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #129,047 | #145,028 | -12.4% |
| Count | 132 | 116 | -12.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Castain bearers went from 132 to 116 (-12.1% change). The surname moved down 15,981 positions in the national ranking, going from #129,047 to #145,028.
FAQ
Castain surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Castain?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Castain. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Castain?
Castain ranks #145,028 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 116 people with the surname Castain. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Castain.
Has Castain become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Castain went from 132 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 16 (-12.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #129,047 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Castain?
Among Census respondents with the surname Castain, the largest self-reported group is Black at 40.5%. The next largest groups are White (26.7%) and Two or More Races (19.0%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Castain in the 2020 Census, accounting for 40.5% (47 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Castain appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (40.5%), White (26.7%), Two or More Races (19.0%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Castain (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Castain mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name originating from the Latin "castanea" meaning chestnut tree. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Castain (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Castain?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Castain on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.