2000
#8,977
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,349
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.24
Rare Last name
Caston
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "enclosure or settlement by a heap of stones."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,954 Americans carry the last name Caston. That puts it at #9,102 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.15 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 86,685 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Caston 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Caston with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.0K
1 in 86,685
Census rank
#9,102
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,448 bearers of the surname Caston in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.15 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9102nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Caston, the largest self-reported group is Black at 54.2%. The next largest groups are White (37.3%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Caston
The surname Caston is of English origin, emerging in the early medieval period around the 11th century. It is derived from the Old English words "cæster" or "cæstir," which refer to a Roman fortified town or a walled city. This suggests that the name originally denoted someone who lived in or near a fortified settlement or town.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Caston can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of landowners and their holdings commissioned by William the Conqueror. The Domesday Book mentions individuals with the name Caston residing in various parts of England, primarily in the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk.
During the Middle Ages, the surname Caston appeared in various historical records, such as the Pipe Rolls of Hertfordshire (1195), which listed a person named Adam de Caston. The name also appeared in the Feet of Fines for Essex (1310), which recorded a land transaction involving a William de Caston.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name Caston was Sir John Caston, a prominent nobleman who lived in the 14th century. He held significant landholdings in Norfolk and served as a knight in the service of King Edward III during the Hundred Years' War.
In the 15th century, a notable figure named William Caxton (c. 1422-1492) emerged as a merchant, writer, and most importantly, the first English printer to introduce the printing press to England. He is credited with publishing the first book printed in English, "The Recuyell of the Historyes of Troye," in 1475.
Another individual of note was Sir William Caston (1572-1645), an English soldier and politician who served as a Member of Parliament and fought in the English Civil War on the side of the Parliamentarians.
During the 17th century, the surname Caston was also found in the New World, with records showing individuals bearing the name among the early settlers in the American colonies, such as John Caston, who settled in Virginia in 1635.
Throughout history, the surname Caston has been subject to various spelling variations, including Caston, Castin, Casston, and Castun, reflecting the evolution of language and regional dialects.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Caston
Among Census respondents with the surname Caston, the largest self-reported group is Black at 54.2%. The next largest groups are White (37.3%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Caston 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 Caston surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American54.2% · 1,869
- White37.3% · 1,287
- Two or more races4.0% · 139
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 126
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Caston
Caston 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
#9,165
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,561
+212 bearers (+6.3%)
Per 100,000 1.21
Rank movement Down 188 places
2020
#9,102
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,448
-113 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 1.15
Rank movement Up 63 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,977 | 3,349 | 1.24 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,165 | 3,561 | 1.21 | +212 bearers (+6.3%) | Down 188 places |
| 2020 | #9,102 | 3,448 | 1.15 | -113 bearers (-3.2%) | Up 63 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 Caston 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 | #9,165 | #9,102 | 0.7% |
| Count | 3,561 | 3,448 | -3.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.21 | 1.15 | -4.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Caston bearers went from 3,561 to 3,448 (-3.2% change). The surname moved up 63 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,165 to #9,102.
FAQ
Caston surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Caston?
Name Census estimates that about 3,954 living Americans carry the surname Caston. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 86,685 residents.
How common is Caston?
Caston ranks #9,102 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.15 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 3,448 people with the surname Caston. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,954), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.15 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.15 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 Caston.
Has Caston become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Caston went from 3,561 recorded bearers to 3,448. That is a decrease of 113 (-3.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,165 to #9,102.
What does the Census say about the background of Caston?
Among Census respondents with the surname Caston, the largest self-reported group is Black at 54.2%. The next largest groups are White (37.3%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Caston in the 2020 Census, accounting for 54.2% (1,869 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Caston appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (54.2%), White (37.3%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Caston (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 Caston mean?
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "enclosure or settlement by a heap of stones." 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 Caston (1.15 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 Caston?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.