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

Castillo, 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 Castillo surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Castillo in America

Castillo is the 70833rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Castillo surname appeared 276 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 Castillo.

We can also compare 2010 data for Castillo 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 Castillo

The surname Castilo originated from Spain and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Spanish word "castillo," meaning castle or fortress. This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived near a castle or worked as a caretaker or guard of a castle.

In medieval Spain, surnames were often derived from occupations, locations, or physical attributes. The Castilo name likely originated in the regions of Castile or Aragon, where many castles and fortresses were built during the Reconquista period to defend against the Moors.

One of the earliest recorded references to the Castilo surname can be found in the "Libro de la Montería" (Book of the Hunt), a 14th-century manuscript commissioned by King Alfonso XI of Castile, which mentions a "Pedro Castilo" among the huntsmen of the royal court.

Another notable early bearer of the Castilo name was Rodrigo Castilo, a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Mexico alongside Hernán Cortés in the early 16th century.

In the 17th century, a prominent figure with the Castilo surname was Juan del Castilo y Saavedra (1592-1670), a Spanish playwright and poet who wrote several comedies and religious plays.

During the 18th century, Francisco Castilo Negrete (1719-1768) was a renowned Spanish architect who designed several notable buildings in Mexico City, including the Palacio de Minería (Mining Palace).

In the 19th century, José María Castilo Remón (1810-1889) was a Spanish politician and lawyer who served as the Minister of Justice and Education under Queen Isabella II.

Other notable individuals with the Castilo surname include the 20th-century Mexican painter María Castilo Rendón (1924-1989) and the contemporary Spanish writer and journalist Elvira Castilo (born 1975).

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Castillo

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

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

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

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