2010
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Castera
A habitational surname derived from a place name in southwestern France.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Castera. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Castera 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Castera in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Castera, the largest self-reported group is White at 33.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (33.3%) and Black (22.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Castera
The surname Castera originated in the Midi-Pyrenees region of southwestern France. It is derived from the Occitan word "castèra," meaning a small castle or fortified house. The name likely emerged during the Middle Ages when many surnames were derived from locations or occupations.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Castera can be found in the Trésor des Chartes du Comté de Rethel, a collection of medieval charters from the County of Rethel in northeastern France, dating back to the 12th century. This suggests that the name may have spread from its initial roots in the Midi-Pyrenees to other parts of France over time.
In the 13th century, a nobleman named Guilhem de Castera was mentioned in the records of the Duchy of Aquitaine, which encompassed much of southwestern France at the time. This provides evidence of the name's use among the nobility during the medieval period.
During the Renaissance, a notable figure with the surname Castera was Juan de Castera, a Spanish explorer and navigator who accompanied Ferdinand Magellan on his famous circumnavigation of the globe in the early 16th century. Juan de Castera was born in Seville, Spain, around 1490 and died at sea in 1522.
Another individual of note was Pierre de Castera, a French soldier and military engineer who lived in the 17th century. He was born in Béarn, a former province in southwestern France, in 1615 and died in Paris in 1684. Pierre de Castera played a significant role in the fortification of several cities during the reign of Louis XIV.
In the 19th century, a French philosopher and writer named Philippe de Castera gained recognition for his work on moral philosophy and social issues. He was born in Montpellier in 1807 and died in Paris in 1880.
These examples demonstrate the historical presence of the surname Castera across various regions and time periods, often associated with military, exploration, and intellectual pursuits.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Castera
Among Census respondents with the surname Castera, the largest self-reported group is White at 33.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (33.3%) and Black (22.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Castera 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 Castera surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White33.3% · 35
- Hispanic or Latino33.3% · 35
- Black or African American22.9% · 24
- Two or more races7.6% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.9% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Castera
Castera appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
+4 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,723 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+4.0%) | Up 6,723 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 Castera 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 | #159,712 | #152,989 | 4.2% |
| Count | 101 | 105 | 4.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 17.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Castera bearers went from 101 to 105 (+4.0% change). The surname moved up 6,723 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #152,989.
FAQ
Castera surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Castera?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Castera. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Castera?
Castera ranks #152,989 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 105 people with the surname Castera. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Castera.
Has Castera become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Castera went from 101 recorded bearers to 105. That is an increase of 4 (+4.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Castera?
Among Census respondents with the surname Castera, the largest self-reported group is White at 33.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (33.3%) and Black (22.9%). 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 Castera in the 2020 Census, accounting for 33.3% (35 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Castera appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (33.3%), Hispanic (33.3%), Black (22.9%). 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 Castera (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 Castera mean?
A habitational surname derived from a place name in southwestern France. 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 Castera (0.04 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 common is the surname Castera?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Castera, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.