Casteel last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Casteel

A French occupational surname referring to a person who lived or worked in or near a castle.

Casteel, 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 Casteel surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Casteel in America

Casteel is the 4180th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Casteel surname appeared 8,472 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Casteel.

We can also compare 2010 data for Casteel 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 4180 3972 5.10%
Count 8,472 8,216 3.07%
Proportion per 100k 2.87 3.05 -6.08%

The history of the last name 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.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Casteel

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

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 Casteel was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 88.34% 7,484
Non-Hispanic Black Only 4.86% 412
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.47% 40
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.99% 84
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.71% 145
Hispanic Origin 3.62% 307

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

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 88.34% 91.05% -3.02%
Black 4.86% 4.61% 5.28%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.47% 0.26% 57.53%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.99% 0.85% 15.22%
Two or More Races 1.71% 1.39% 20.65%
Hispanic 3.62% 1.84% 65.20%

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

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

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Casteel last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on October 9, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/casteel-surname-popularity/.

"Casteel last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/casteel-surname-popularity/. Accessed 9 October, 2024

Casteel last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/casteel-surname-popularity/.

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