2000
#6,596
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,739
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.76
Rare Last name
Castano
A surname of Italian and Spanish origin, indicating someone with chestnut-colored hair or a chestnut seller.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,680 Americans carry the last name Castano. That puts it at #5,727 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.95 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 51,311 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Castano 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Castano with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.7K
1 in 51,311
Census rank
#5,727
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,825 bearers of the surname Castano in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.95 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5727th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Castano, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 84.8%. The next largest groups are White (12.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Castano
The surname Castano has its origins in Spain and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Spanish word "castaño," meaning "chestnut," referring to the color brown or reddish-brown. The name may have been given to someone with chestnut-colored hair or complexion.
The earliest known record of the Castano surname appears in the Libro del Repartimiento de Sevilla, a document from the 13th century that recorded the distribution of land and property in the region of Seville after the Christian conquest of the city in 1248. Several individuals with the name Castano are mentioned in this historical record.
One of the earliest documented individuals with the Castano surname was Pedro Castano, a Spanish military leader who participated in the conquest of Mexico in the 16th century. He was born around 1490 in Seville and served under Hernán Cortés during the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire.
In the 17th century, the Castano surname gained prominence with Juan Castano, a Spanish painter born in Murcia in 1590. He was known for his religious paintings and works depicting scenes from classical mythology. Juan Castano's artworks can be found in various museums and churches across Spain.
Another notable individual with the Castano surname was José Castano y Ayala, a Spanish politician and statesman who lived from 1768 to 1843. He served as the Minister of Finance during the reign of King Ferdinand VII and played a significant role in the political and economic affairs of Spain during the early 19th century.
In the 20th century, the Castano surname was carried by Margarita Castano, a renowned Spanish composer and pianist born in 1919 in Madrid. She composed numerous works for solo piano, chamber ensembles, and orchestras, and her compositions were widely performed both in Spain and internationally.
Throughout history, the Castano surname has also been associated with various place names, such as Castañeda, a municipality in the province of Cantabria, Spain, and Castano Primo, a town in the province of Milan, Italy, which may have originated from individuals bearing the surname Castano who settled in these locations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Castano
Among Census respondents with the surname Castano, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 84.8%. The next largest groups are White (12.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Castano 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 Castano surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino84.8% · 4,939
- White12.9% · 749
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 90
- Black or African American0.4% · 21
- Two or more races0.3% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Castano
Castano 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
#5,660
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,133
+1,394 bearers (+29.4%)
Per 100,000 2.08
Rank movement Up 936 places
2020
#5,727
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,825
-308 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 1.95
Rank movement Down 67 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,596 | 4,739 | 1.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,660 | 6,133 | 2.08 | +1,394 bearers (+29.4%) | Up 936 places |
| 2020 | #5,727 | 5,825 | 1.95 | -308 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 67 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 Castano 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 | #5,660 | #5,727 | -1.2% |
| Count | 6,133 | 5,825 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 2.08 | 1.95 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Castano bearers went from 6,133 to 5,825 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 67 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,660 to #5,727.
FAQ
Castano surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Castano?
Name Census estimates that about 6,680 living Americans carry the surname Castano. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 51,311 residents.
How common is Castano?
Castano ranks #5,727 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.95 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,825 people with the surname Castano. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,680), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.95 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.95 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Castano.
Has Castano become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Castano went from 6,133 recorded bearers to 5,825. That is a decrease of 308 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,660 to #5,727.
What does the Census say about the background of Castano?
Among Census respondents with the surname Castano, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 84.8%. The next largest groups are White (12.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.5%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Castano in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.8% (4,939 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Castano appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (84.8%), White (12.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.5%). 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 Castano (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 Castano mean?
A surname of Italian and Spanish origin, indicating someone with chestnut-colored hair or a chestnut seller. 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 Castano (1.95 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 are called Castano?
You can see how common the surname Castano is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.