2000
#119,644
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 134
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Castelein
A surname derived from Old French for a castle worker or castellan.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 194 Americans carry the last name Castelein. That puts it at #110,961 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,766,775 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Castelein 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
194
1 in 1,766,775
Census rank
#110,961
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
169
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 169 bearers of the surname Castelein in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 110961st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Castelein, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Castelein
The surname Castelein originates from the region of Flanders in Belgium during the late medieval period. It is derived from the Dutch words 'kasteel' meaning castle and 'lein' meaning lane or path, suggesting it was once used to identify someone who lived near a castle or along a path leading to a castle.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the tax records of Bruges, a prominent city in Flanders, from the year 1385. Here, a certain Jan Castelein is listed as a landowner and merchant.
In the 15th century, a poet named Michiel Castelein was renowned for his works in Middle Dutch. Born around 1420 in Oudenaarde, he served as a court poet under Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy.
The Castelein name can also be found in the archives of Ghent, another major city in Flanders, from the early 16th century. A notable figure was Pieter Castelein, a wealthy cloth merchant who was active in the city's guild system.
As the Low Countries came under Spanish rule in the 16th century, some Casteleins migrated to the Dutch Republic to escape religious persecution. One such individual was Joost Castelein, a Calvinist who fled Flanders in 1573 and settled in Leiden, where he became a respected professor of theology.
In the 17th century, a branch of the Castelein family established itself in the Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia). Pieter Castelein, born in 1620 in Rotterdam, was a prominent merchant and landowner in Batavia (now Jakarta).
Throughout its history, the Castelein surname has maintained its association with the Low Countries, particularly the regions of Flanders and the Netherlands. While the name has spread across the globe, its origins trace back to the medieval era in what is now Belgium.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Castelein
Among Census respondents with the surname Castelein, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Castelein 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 Castelein surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.6% · 148
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 7
- Two or more races4.1% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.0% · 5
- Black or African American0.6% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Castelein
Castelein 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
#118,853
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 146
+12 bearers (+9.0%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 791 places
2020
#110,961
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 169
+23 bearers (+15.8%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Up 7,892 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #119,644 | 134 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #118,853 | 146 | 0.05 | +12 bearers (+9.0%) | Up 791 places |
| 2020 | #110,961 | 169 | 0.06 | +23 bearers (+15.8%) | Up 7,892 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 Castelein 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 | #118,853 | #110,961 | 6.6% |
| Count | 146 | 169 | 15.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.06 | 13.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Castelein bearers went from 146 to 169 (+15.8% change). The surname moved up 7,892 positions in the national ranking, going from #118,853 to #110,961.
FAQ
Castelein surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Castelein?
Name Census estimates that about 194 living Americans carry the surname Castelein. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,766,775 residents.
How common is Castelein?
Castelein ranks #110,961 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 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 169 people with the surname Castelein. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (194), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 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 Castelein.
Has Castelein become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Castelein went from 146 recorded bearers to 169. That is an increase of 23 (+15.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #118,853 to #110,961.
What does the Census say about the background of Castelein?
Among Census respondents with the surname Castelein, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Castelein in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.6% (148 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Castelein appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.6%), Hispanic (4.1%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Castelein (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 Castelein mean?
A surname derived from Old French for a castle worker or castellan. 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 Castelein (0.06 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 surname Castelein?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.