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

Castañeda, 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 Castañeda surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Castañeda in America

Castañeda is the 44872nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Castañeda surname appeared 478 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Castañeda.

We can also compare 2010 data for Castañeda 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 Castañeda

The surname Castenada has its origins in Spain, where it first appeared in the 11th century. It is derived from the Spanish word "castaño," meaning chestnut, and likely referred to someone who lived near a chestnut tree or grove. The earliest recorded spelling was "Castañeda."

One of the earliest known references to the name is in the 12th-century Codex Calixtinus, a medieval manuscript that records the names of pilgrims who traveled the Camino de Santiago. The name appears as "Petrus de Castaneda," suggesting that a person of that name made the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela.

The Castenada surname has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. In the 15th century, Juan de Castañeda was a Spanish explorer who led expeditions to the Caribbean and South America. His voyages were documented in his book, "Relación de la jornada de Orinoco y descubrimiento del río Apure," published in 1636.

During the 16th century, Pedro de Castañeda was a Spanish soldier and chronicler who participated in the expedition led by Francisco Vázquez de Coronado to the present-day southwestern United States. His account, "Relación de la Jornada de Cíbola," provides valuable information about the indigenous peoples encountered during the journey.

In the 17th century, Juan de Castañeda y Velasco was a Spanish nobleman and military leader who served as the governor of the Philippines from 1678 to 1686. He is credited with strengthening the colony's defenses and improving its economy.

In the 19th century, Carlos María de Castro y Castenada was a Peruvian politician and diplomat who served as the President of Peru from 1858 to 1862. He played a significant role in the country's political affairs during the mid-19th century.

More recently, in the 20th century, Carlos Castaneda was a renowned American author and anthropologist known for his works on the traditional shamanic practices of Native Americans, particularly the Yaqui people of northern Mexico. His books, including "The Teachings of Don Juan" and "Journey to Ixtlan," became highly influential in the counterculture movement of the 1960s.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Castañeda

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

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

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

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