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

Castellanos, 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 Castellanos surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Castellanos in America

Castellanos is the 1138th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Castellanos surname appeared 30,859 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 10 people would have the surname Castellanos.

We can also compare 2010 data for Castellanos 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.

The history of the last name Castellanos

The surname Castellanos originates from Spain, where it first appeared during the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish word "castellano," which means "belonging to a castle" or "from a castle." This suggests that the name was likely given to individuals who lived or worked in or near a castle, or who were involved in the construction or maintenance of castles.

The name Castellanos is closely related to the Spanish word "castillo," meaning "castle." It is possible that some early bearers of this surname were employed as castellans, who were responsible for overseeing and defending a particular castle or fortress.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Castellanos surname can be found in the Repartimiento de Sevilla, a historic document from the 13th century that recorded the distribution of land and property in Seville, Spain, after the city was conquered by King Ferdinand III in 1248. In this document, several individuals with the surname Castellanos are mentioned as recipients of land grants.

During the Age of Exploration in the 15th and 16th centuries, many Spanish explorers and settlers with the surname Castellanos played a role in the colonization of the Americas. One notable example is Juan de Castellanos (c. 1522-1607), a Spanish poet and chronicler who wrote extensively about the conquest of the West Indies and the Spanish colonization of Colombia and Venezuela.

Another prominent figure with the Castellanos surname was Alonso de Castellanos (c. 1518-1593), a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Guatemala and served as the governor of the province of Soconusco in present-day Mexico.

In the realm of literature, Juan de Castellanos Villalroel (1610-1685) was a Spanish poet and dramatist known for his works in the Baroque style, including plays and religious poetry.

Moving to more modern times, Rosario Castellanos (1925-1974) was a celebrated Mexican poet, novelist, and diplomat, renowned for her works exploring the struggles and experiences of indigenous women in Mexico.

Throughout history, the Castellanos surname has also been associated with various place names, such as Castellanos de Moriscos in Spain, and Castellanos de Villiquera, a municipality in the province of Salamanca, Spain.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Castellanos

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

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 Castellanos was:

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

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

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

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