2000
#8,913
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,377
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.25
Rare Last name
Castorena
A Spanish habitational surname referring to someone from any of several places named Castorena in northern Spain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,723 Americans carry the last name Castorena. That puts it at #7,741 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.38 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 72,571 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Castorena 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
4.7K
1 in 72,571
Census rank
#7,741
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,119 bearers of the surname Castorena in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.38 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7741st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Castorena, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.8%. The next largest groups are White (6.1%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Castorena
The surname Castorena is of Spanish origin and can be traced back to the 15th century in the region of Castilla-La Mancha, Spain. It is believed to have derived from the Spanish word "castoreno," which means "beaver" or "beaver-like." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a beaver den or a place where beavers were abundant.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Castorena can be found in the baptismal records of the Iglesia de San Juan Bautista in Alcázar de San Juan, Ciudad Real, dated 1547. This entry mentions a certain Juan Castorena, who was likely a resident of the area.
In the 16th century, the name also appeared in various legal documents and property records in the city of Toledo, indicating that members of the Castorena family had established themselves in this important Spanish city.
During the Spanish colonization of the Americas in the 16th and 17th centuries, several individuals bearing the surname Castorena made their way to the New World. One notable figure was Diego Castorena, a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Mexico under Hernán Cortés in the early 1500s.
Another prominent individual was Pedro Castorena, a Spanish explorer and navigator who accompanied Juan de Oñate's expedition to establish the Spanish colony of New Mexico in 1598. Castorena was instrumental in mapping the routes and charting the territories they explored.
In the 18th century, a branch of the Castorena family settled in the region of Coahuila, in what is now northern Mexico. Here, they established themselves as landowners and ranchers. One of the most prominent members of this branch was José María Castorena, who was born in 1785 and served as a military officer during the Mexican War of Independence.
During the colonial period in Latin America, the surname Castorena also appeared in various historical documents and records in countries such as Peru, Colombia, and Venezuela, indicating the widespread migration of individuals bearing this name throughout the Spanish colonies.
While the surname Castorena is not as widely known as some other Spanish surnames, it has a rich history and has been carried by individuals who played significant roles in the exploration, conquest, and settlement of the Americas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Castorena
Among Census respondents with the surname Castorena, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.8%. The next largest groups are White (6.1%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Castorena 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 Castorena surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino92.8% · 3,821
- White6.1% · 250
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 13
- Two or more races0.2% · 10
- Black or African American0.2% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Castorena
Castorena 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
#7,031
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,759
+1,382 bearers (+40.9%)
Per 100,000 1.61
Rank movement Up 1,882 places
2020
#7,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,119
-640 bearers (-13.4%)
Per 100,000 1.38
Rank movement Down 710 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,913 | 3,377 | 1.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,031 | 4,759 | 1.61 | +1,382 bearers (+40.9%) | Up 1,882 places |
| 2020 | #7,741 | 4,119 | 1.38 | -640 bearers (-13.4%) | Down 710 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 Castorena 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 | #7,031 | #7,741 | -10.1% |
| Count | 4,759 | 4,119 | -13.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.61 | 1.38 | -14.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Castorena bearers went from 4,759 to 4,119 (-13.4% change). The surname moved down 710 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,031 to #7,741.
FAQ
Castorena surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Castorena?
Name Census estimates that about 4,723 living Americans carry the surname Castorena. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 72,571 residents.
How common is Castorena?
Castorena ranks #7,741 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.38 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 4,119 people with the surname Castorena. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,723), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.38 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.38 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 Castorena.
Has Castorena become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Castorena went from 4,759 recorded bearers to 4,119. That is a decrease of 640 (-13.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,031 to #7,741.
What does the Census say about the background of Castorena?
Among Census respondents with the surname Castorena, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.8%. The next largest groups are White (6.1%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.4%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Castorena in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (3,821 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Castorena appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (92.8%), White (6.1%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.4%). 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 Castorena (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 Castorena mean?
A Spanish habitational surname referring to someone from any of several places named Castorena in northern Spain. 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 Castorena (1.38 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 Castorena?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.