2000
#14,559
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,877
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.70
Rare Last name
Castner
A surname derived from the Latin "castanarius," denoting someone who gathered or sold chestnuts.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,118 Americans carry the last name Castner. That puts it at #15,296 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 161,829 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Castner 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
2.1K
1 in 161,829
Census rank
#15,296
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,847 bearers of the surname Castner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15296th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Castner, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Castner
The surname Castner is of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word "kastenære," which means "keeper of the castle." It is believed to have originated in the late 12th or early 13th century, primarily in the regions of Bavaria and Austria.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Castner can be found in a document from the Holy Roman Empire, dated around 1285, which mentions a certain "Heinrich Castner" as a castle keeper in the town of Regensburg.
In the 14th century, the name Castner began to appear in various records and manuscripts across different parts of Germany, such as the Heidelberg Manuscript, which documented a "Johannes Castner" in 1348.
The surname Castner is also mentioned in the historical records of the city of Nuremberg, where a family by the name of Castner is recorded as having lived in the 15th century. One notable member of this family was Hans Castner, a respected merchant and guild member born in 1462.
As the name spread across German-speaking regions, it underwent several spelling variations, including Castner, Kastner, Kastener, and Kaestner. One of the earliest instances of the Kastner spelling can be found in a document from 1527, which references a "Friedrich Kastner" from the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber.
In the 17th century, the Castner name gained prominence with the birth of Abraham Castner (1625-1689), a renowned German theologian and author who wrote extensively on religious and philosophical topics.
Another notable figure from this time period was Johann Castner (1644-1718), a German composer and organist who served at the court of the Prince-Bishop of Bamberg.
As the Castner family continued to spread throughout Germany and neighboring regions, the name became associated with various professions, including military service, academia, and the arts. Notable examples include:
1. Heinrich Castner (1781-1857), a Prussian military officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars.
2. Karl Castner (1825-1892), a German philosopher and educator who taught at the University of Berlin.
3. Johann Castner (1864-1936), a German sculptor known for his intricate wood carvings and religious art.
4. Theodor Castner (1875-1951), a German chemist and inventor who developed the Castner-Kellner process for producing sodium hydroxide.
5. Hans Castner (1908-1997), a German-born American artist renowned for his abstract expressionist paintings and sculptures.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Castner
Among Census respondents with the surname Castner, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Castner 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 Castner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 1,707
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 58
- Two or more races2.8% · 51
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 17
- Black or African American0.4% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Castner
Castner appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#15,471
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,893
+16 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Down 912 places
2020
#15,296
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,847
-46 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Up 175 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,559 | 1,877 | 0.70 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,471 | 1,893 | 0.64 | +16 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 912 places |
| 2020 | #15,296 | 1,847 | 0.62 | -46 bearers (-2.4%) | Up 175 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 Castner 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 | #15,471 | #15,296 | 1.1% |
| Count | 1,893 | 1,847 | -2.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.64 | 0.62 | -3.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Castner bearers went from 1,893 to 1,847 (-2.4% change). The surname moved up 175 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,471 to #15,296.
FAQ
Castner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Castner?
Name Census estimates that about 2,118 living Americans carry the surname Castner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 161,829 residents.
How common is Castner?
Castner ranks #15,296 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,847 people with the surname Castner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.62 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Castner.
Has Castner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Castner went from 1,893 recorded bearers to 1,847. That is a decrease of 46 (-2.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,471 to #15,296.
What does the Census say about the background of Castner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Castner, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Castner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (1,707 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Castner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Hispanic (3.1%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Castner (2000, 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 Castner mean?
A surname derived from the Latin "castanarius," denoting someone who gathered or sold chestnuts. 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 Castner (0.62 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 share the surname Castner?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.