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 37591st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Castañeda surname appeared 592 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 "Casteneda" originated in Spain during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Spanish words "castano" meaning chestnut and "edad" meaning age, likely referring to someone from an area known for its chestnut trees. The name can be traced back to the regions of Galicia and Asturias in northern Spain.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in a 13th-century manuscript from the Monastery of San Salvador de Celanova in Galicia, which mentions a "Don Rodrigo de Casteneda" who was a nobleman and landowner. This suggests that the name was associated with the aristocracy in its early history.

In the 14th century, the surname appears in the records of the city of Burgos, where a "Pedro de Casteneda" is listed as a merchant and member of the city council. This indicates that the name had spread beyond its initial northern origins and was becoming more widespread in Spain.

During the 15th century, a "Juan de Casteneda" served as a soldier and chronicler for the Spanish conquistadors in Mexico, providing valuable accounts of the early colonial period. His writings are considered important primary sources for understanding the conquest of Mexico.

In the 16th century, a "Hernán Cortés de Casteneda" was a Spanish explorer and navigator who accompanied various expeditions to the Americas, including those of Hernán Cortés and Francisco Pizarro. He is credited with charting and mapping portions of the Pacific coast of Mexico and Central America.

A notable figure in the 17th century was "Pedro de Casteneda y Laso de la Vega", a Spanish playwright and poet who was highly regarded for his works in the Golden Age of Spanish literature. His plays and poetry were popular among the nobility and intellectual circles of the time.

In the 18th century, a "María de Casteneda" was a renowned painter in the Spanish colonial city of Puebla, Mexico. Her works, which often depicted religious scenes and portraits, are now considered important examples of the Mexican Baroque style.

Throughout its history, the surname "Casteneda" has been associated with various notable individuals, reflecting its origins in the Spanish aristocracy and its subsequent spread to the Americas during the colonial period.

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.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

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!