2000
#3,972
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,216
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.05
Rare Last name
Casteel
A French occupational surname referring to a person who lived or worked in or near a castle.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,169 Americans carry the last name Casteel. That puts it at #4,292 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 37,382 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Casteel 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
9.2K
1 in 37,382
Census rank
#4,292
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,996 bearers of the surname Casteel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4292nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Casteel, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.2%. The next largest groups are Black (5.3%) and Hispanic (5.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Casteel
The surname Casteel has its origins in France, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old French word "castel," meaning castle or fortified dwelling. This name likely originated as a descriptive surname, referring to someone who lived near or worked in a castle.
In medieval times, surnames were often given to people based on their occupation, location, or other distinguishing characteristics. The Casteel name may have been initially assigned to a family residing in or near a castle, or to individuals who were employed in castle-related roles, such as guards, builders, or servants.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Casteel surname can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land and property ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. However, the spelling in this document appears as "de Castel," reflecting the French origin of the name.
As the Casteel family migrated across Europe, variations in spelling emerged, including Casteel, Castelle, Castellan, and Castellini. These variations often reflected regional linguistic differences or attempts to adapt the name to local pronunciation and spelling conventions.
Notable individuals with the Casteel surname throughout history include:
1. Robert de Castel (c. 1150-1215), a French nobleman who served as a knight during the Third Crusade under King Richard I of England.
2. Jean Casteel (c. 1380-1445), a French architect and master builder responsible for the construction of several notable castles and fortifications in the region of Burgundy.
3. Claudio Castellini (1578-1644), an Italian painter and etcher active in the early Baroque period, known for his religious works and portraits.
4. Eliza Casteel (1792-1876), an American pioneer and early settler in the state of Ohio, who established the town of Casteelville, named after her family.
5. Sir John Casteel (1848-1923), a British military officer and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of British Honduras (modern-day Belize) from 1895 to 1901.
While the Casteel surname has its roots in medieval France, it has since spread across Europe and beyond, carried by individuals and families who have left their mark on various aspects of history, from architecture and art to exploration and military service.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Casteel
Among Census respondents with the surname Casteel, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.2%. The next largest groups are Black (5.3%) and Hispanic (5.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Casteel 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 Casteel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.2% · 6,733
- Black or African American5.3% · 421
- Hispanic or Latino5.3% · 421
- Two or more races3.9% · 308
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 70
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 43
Timeline
Historical Census data for Casteel
Casteel 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
#4,180
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,472
+256 bearers (+3.1%)
Per 100,000 2.87
Rank movement Down 208 places
2020
#4,292
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,996
-476 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 2.68
Rank movement Down 112 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,972 | 8,216 | 3.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,180 | 8,472 | 2.87 | +256 bearers (+3.1%) | Down 208 places |
| 2020 | #4,292 | 7,996 | 2.68 | -476 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 112 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 Casteel 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 | #4,180 | #4,292 | -2.7% |
| Count | 8,472 | 7,996 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.87 | 2.68 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Casteel bearers went from 8,472 to 7,996 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 112 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,180 to #4,292.
FAQ
Casteel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Casteel?
Name Census estimates that about 9,169 living Americans carry the surname Casteel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 37,382 residents.
How common is Casteel?
Casteel ranks #4,292 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.68 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,996 people with the surname Casteel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,169), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.68 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Casteel.
Has Casteel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Casteel went from 8,472 recorded bearers to 7,996. That is a decrease of 476 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,180 to #4,292.
What does the Census say about the background of Casteel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Casteel, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.2%. The next largest groups are Black (5.3%) and Hispanic (5.3%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Casteel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.2% (6,733 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Casteel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.2%), Black (5.3%), Hispanic (5.3%). 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 Casteel (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 Casteel mean?
A French occupational surname referring to a person who lived or worked in or near a castle. 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 Casteel (2.68 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 Casteel?
See how many people have the last name Casteel on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.