2000
#116,835
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 138
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Castora
A surname derived from the Latin word "castoreum," referring to a beaver or its secretions.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Castora. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Castora 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Castora in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Castora, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Castora
The surname Castora originated in Spain during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Spanish word "castora," which means "beaver." The name may have been given to someone who lived near a beaver colony or worked as a trapper or furrier dealing with beaver pelts.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Castora name appears in the Libro de la Montería, a hunting manuscript from the 14th century. This text mentions a person named Pedro Castora, who was likely a hunter or gamekeeper involved in the royal hunting parties of King Alfonso XI of Castile (1311-1350).
In the 15th century, records from the town of Albarracín in Aragon show a family with the surname Castora. This suggests that the name may have been more prevalent in the eastern regions of Spain during that time period.
The Castora name can also be found in historical documents from the Spanish colonies in the Americas. For example, Juan Castora (c. 1590-1663) was a Spanish conquistador and explorer who participated in the conquest of present-day Mexico and Guatemala.
Another notable figure with the Castora surname was Francisca Castora (1671-1744), a Spanish painter known for her religious artwork and portraits. She was born in Seville and spent most of her career working in Madrid.
In the 19th century, Antonio Castora (1823-1898) was a prominent Spanish politician and lawyer who served as a deputy in the Spanish parliament and held various government positions under different monarchs and regimes.
Other examples of people with the Castora surname include Miguel Castora (1856-1932), a Spanish architect who designed several notable buildings in Barcelona, and Rosa Castora (1901-1988), a Spanish writer and journalist who published several novels and short story collections.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Castora
Among Census respondents with the surname Castora, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Castora 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 Castora surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 110
- Hispanic or Latino7.6% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Castora
Castora 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
#136,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
-15 bearers (-10.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 19,614 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-4 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,339 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #116,835 | 138 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #136,449 | 123 | 0.04 | -15 bearers (-10.9%) | Down 19,614 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.3%) | Down 6,339 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 Castora 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 | #136,449 | #142,788 | -4.6% |
| Count | 123 | 119 | -3.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Castora bearers went from 123 to 119 (-3.3% change). The surname moved down 6,339 positions in the national ranking, going from #136,449 to #142,788.
FAQ
Castora surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Castora?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Castora. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Castora?
Castora ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Castora. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Castora.
Has Castora become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Castora went from 123 recorded bearers to 119. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #136,449 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Castora?
Among Census respondents with the surname Castora, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.6%). 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 Castora in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Castora appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Hispanic (7.6%). 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 Castora (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 Castora mean?
A surname derived from the Latin word "castoreum," referring to a beaver or its secretions. 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 Castora (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 Castora?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Castora on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.