2010
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Castleberg
A locational surname referring to a person from a place with a castle situated on a hill or mountain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Castleberg. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Castleberg 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Castleberg in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Castleberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Castleberg
The surname Castleberg has its origins in the German language and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have first emerged in the regions of modern-day Germany and Austria, where it was likely derived from a combination of the words "Castell" (meaning castle) and "Berg" (meaning mountain or hill). This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near or worked at a castle situated on a hill or mountain.
One of the earliest known references to the name Castleberg can be found in a medieval German manuscript dated around the 13th century, which mentions a person with the surname in connection with a small village near the town of Heidelberg. This lends credence to the theory that the name originated in the German-speaking regions.
In the 15th century, records show a prominent Castleberg family living in the city of Nuremberg, which was a major center of trade and commerce during the Renaissance period. This family is believed to have played an important role in the city's economic and cultural life at the time.
The name Castleberg has also been linked to several notable individuals throughout history. One such person was Johann Castleberg (1505-1572), a German composer and musician who served as the court organist for the Prince-Bishopric of Würzburg. Another was Hans Castleberg (1638-1712), a renowned architect and engineer who contributed to the design of several important buildings in the city of Dresden.
In the 18th century, a branch of the Castleberg family migrated to the United States, where they settled in the state of Pennsylvania. One of the earliest known American Castlebergs was Michael Castleberg (1725-1798), a farmer and landowner who played a role in the American Revolutionary War.
Another notable figure with the surname Castleberg was Wilhelm Castleberg (1812-1879), a German-born American artist and painter who was known for his landscape paintings depicting scenes from the American West. His works are held in several major art museums and galleries across the United States.
The name Castleberg has also been associated with various place names throughout Europe, including the village of Castleberg in the German state of Hesse and the town of Castleberg in Austria, both of which may have contributed to the origin and spread of the surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Castleberg
Among Census respondents with the surname Castleberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Castleberg 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 Castleberg surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 111
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.3% · 4
- Two or more races3.3% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Castleberg
Castleberg 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
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+6 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,832 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.2%) | Up 2,832 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 Castleberg 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 | #144,141 | #141,309 | 2.0% |
| Count | 115 | 121 | 5.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Castleberg bearers went from 115 to 121 (+5.2% change). The surname moved up 2,832 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #141,309.
FAQ
Castleberg surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Castleberg?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Castleberg. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Castleberg?
Castleberg ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Castleberg. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Castleberg.
Has Castleberg become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Castleberg went from 115 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 6 (+5.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #144,141 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Castleberg?
Among Census respondents with the surname Castleberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Castleberg in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Castleberg appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.3%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Castleberg (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 Castleberg mean?
A locational surname referring to a person from a place with a castle situated on a hill or mountain. 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 Castleberg (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 many people have the surname Castleberg?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.