Find out how popular the last name Celeste is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Celeste.

Celeste, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Celeste surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Celeste in America

Celeste is the 19348th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Celeste surname appeared 1,398 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Celeste.

We can also compare 2010 data for Celeste to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Celeste

The surname Celeste originated in Italy, with the earliest records dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Latin word "caelestis," meaning "heavenly" or "celestial." The name was likely given to individuals who were born under auspicious celestial events or were associated with the church or religious orders.

In medieval Italy, the name Celeste was found in various regions, including Tuscany, Umbria, and Lazio. It was often used as a descriptive surname, referring to someone with a celestial or divine quality or appearance. The name may have also been given to individuals born on religious feast days or under significant astrological events.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Celeste can be found in the "Codice Diplomatico Longobardo," a collection of historical documents from the Lombard period in Italy, dating back to the 8th century. The name appears in a document from the year 1247, referring to a landowner named Celeste di Perugia.

In the 14th century, a notable figure with the surname Celeste was Giovanni Celeste, a Franciscan friar and theologian from Siena. He was born in 1292 and played a significant role in the religious and intellectual life of his time, authoring several theological works and serving as a lecturer at the University of Paris.

Another historical figure bearing the name Celeste was Pietro Celeste, a Renaissance painter and architect from Verona. He lived from 1510 to 1588 and was known for his frescoes in churches and palaces throughout northern Italy, as well as his architectural designs for various buildings in Verona and nearby cities.

In the 16th century, the name Celeste was also associated with the Celeste family, a noble family from Naples. One of the most prominent members was Marcantonio Celeste, born in 1530, who served as a diplomat and ambassador for the Kingdom of Naples during the Italian Wars.

During the 17th century, the Celeste surname gained prominence in the arts and literature. Giulio Celeste, born in 1620 in Rome, was a renowned sculptor and architect who worked on several churches and palaces in Rome and other Italian cities. His contemporary, Giambattista Celeste, was a playwright and poet from Venice, known for his comedic plays and satirical works.

Throughout history, the surname Celeste has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, including artists, intellectuals, religious figures, and nobility. While the name's origins can be traced back to medieval Italy, it has since spread to other parts of the world, carrying with it a sense of heavenly or divine connotations.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Celeste

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Celeste.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Celeste was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Celeste has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Celeste was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Celeste, please contact us.

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