2000
#149,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Celestain
A surname derived from the French celestin, meaning "celestial" or "heavenly".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Celestain. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Celestain 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Celestain in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Celestain, the largest self-reported group is Black at 82.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.2%) and Hispanic (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Celestain
The surname Celestain originated in France, with its earliest roots traced back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Latin word "caelestis," meaning "heavenly" or "celestial." This name likely referred to someone who lived near a church dedicated to a celestial figure or saint.
During the Middle Ages, the name Celestain appeared in various church records and medieval manuscripts, particularly in the regions of Normandy and Brittany. One of the earliest documented instances of the name can be found in a 1187 charter from the Abbey of Sainte-Trinité in Caen, Normandy, which mentions a "Robertus Celestain."
In the 13th century, a variant spelling, "Celesten," was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive record of landholders in England. This suggests that the name had already spread beyond France during the Norman conquest of England.
The earliest known bearer of the surname Celestain was Pierre Celestain, a French nobleman born around 1210 in Rouen, Normandy. He was a prominent figure in the court of King Louis IX and participated in the Seventh Crusade to the Holy Land.
Another notable individual with this surname was Jean Celestain (1420-1492), a Benedictine monk and scholar from Brittany. He was known for his contributions to the study of ancient texts and his translations of Greek and Latin works.
In the 16th century, the Celestain family established a presence in the French colonies of the West Indies, particularly in Saint-Domingue (present-day Haiti). One of the earliest recorded settlers was Jacques Celestain, who arrived in Saint-Domingue in 1578 and became a successful plantation owner.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, members of the Celestain family played significant roles in the colonial administration and military affairs of the French Caribbean. Notable figures include François Celestain (1635-1702), a governor of Martinique, and Henri Celestain (1720-1787), a general in the French colonial forces.
In more recent history, the name Celestain has been carried by individuals from various backgrounds and professions. For example, Louis Celestain (1882-1954) was a Haitian diplomat and politician who served as the Ambassador to France and the United States.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Celestain
Among Census respondents with the surname Celestain, the largest self-reported group is Black at 82.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.2%) and Hispanic (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Celestain 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 Celestain surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American82.4% · 89
- Two or more races10.2% · 11
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 5
- White1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Celestain
Celestain 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
#133,048
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
+26 bearers (+25.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 16,280 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-19 bearers (-15.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 17,887 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #149,328 | 101 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,048 | 127 | 0.04 | +26 bearers (+25.7%) | Up 16,280 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -19 bearers (-15.0%) | Down 17,887 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 Celestain 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 | #133,048 | #150,935 | -13.4% |
| Count | 127 | 108 | -15.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Celestain bearers went from 127 to 108 (-15.0% change). The surname moved down 17,887 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,048 to #150,935.
FAQ
Celestain surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Celestain?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Celestain. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Celestain?
Celestain ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Celestain. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Celestain.
Has Celestain become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Celestain went from 127 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 19 (-15.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,048 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Celestain?
Among Census respondents with the surname Celestain, the largest self-reported group is Black at 82.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.2%) and Hispanic (4.6%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Celestain in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.4% (89 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Celestain appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (82.4%), Two or More Races (10.2%), Hispanic (4.6%). 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 Celestain (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 Celestain mean?
A surname derived from the French celestin, meaning "celestial" or "heavenly". 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 Celestain (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 Celestain?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.