2000
#12,426
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,291
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.85
Rare Last name
Celestin
Derived from the Latin name Caelestinus, meaning "heavenly" or "of the sky."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,157 Americans carry the last name Celestin. That puts it at #8,687 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 82,452 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Celestin 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
4.2K
1 in 82,452
Census rank
#8,687
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,625 bearers of the surname Celestin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8687th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Celestin, the largest self-reported group is Black at 84.2%. The next largest groups are White (6.0%) and Hispanic (5.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Celestin
The surname Celestin has its origins in France and is derived from the Late Latin name Caelestinus, which itself comes from the Latin word "caelestis" meaning "heavenly" or "celestial". This name was likely given as a nickname or surname to someone who was considered particularly virtuous or spiritual.
The earliest recorded instance of the Celestin surname dates back to the 12th century in the region of Normandy, France. In 1195, a record mentions a Richard Celestin who was a landowner in the village of Évreux.
The surname Celestin also appears in several medieval manuscripts and records, including the renowned Domesday Book of 1086, which documents a Willelmus Celestin as a landowner in the county of Somerset, England.
One of the earliest and most notable individuals with the surname Celestin was Pope Celestine V, born Pietro del Murrone (c. 1215-1296), who was elected Pope in 1294 but resigned just five months later, becoming the first Pope to abdicate the papacy. His birth name was likely influenced by the Celestin surname.
During the 14th century, the Celestin surname spread across Europe, particularly in France, Italy, and Spain. In France, the Celestin family established itself as a prominent noble family, with members holding various titles and estates.
Another notable figure was Jean Celestin (c. 1390-1473), a French scholar and theologian who served as the Bishop of Paris from 1443 until his death. He was known for his contributions to the Council of Basel and his efforts to reform the Catholic Church.
In the 16th century, Claude Celestin (c. 1510-1580) was a French poet and translator who gained recognition for his translations of ancient Greek and Roman works into French.
The Celestin surname also has a long history in Italy, where it is sometimes spelled Celestini or Celestino. One notable Italian bearer of the name was Tommaso Celestini (1663-1727), a painter and architect from Rome who was highly regarded for his frescoes and architectural designs.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Celestin
Among Census respondents with the surname Celestin, the largest self-reported group is Black at 84.2%. The next largest groups are White (6.0%) and Hispanic (5.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Celestin 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 Celestin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American84.2% · 3,051
- White6.0% · 217
- Hispanic or Latino5.4% · 195
- Two or more races3.2% · 117
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 36
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Celestin
Celestin 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
#10,434
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,083
+792 bearers (+34.6%)
Per 100,000 1.05
Rank movement Up 1,992 places
2020
#8,687
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,625
+542 bearers (+17.6%)
Per 100,000 1.21
Rank movement Up 1,747 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,426 | 2,291 | 0.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,434 | 3,083 | 1.05 | +792 bearers (+34.6%) | Up 1,992 places |
| 2020 | #8,687 | 3,625 | 1.21 | +542 bearers (+17.6%) | Up 1,747 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 Celestin 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 | #10,434 | #8,687 | 16.7% |
| Count | 3,083 | 3,625 | 17.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.05 | 1.21 | 15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Celestin bearers went from 3,083 to 3,625 (+17.6% change). The surname moved up 1,747 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,434 to #8,687.
FAQ
Celestin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Celestin?
Name Census estimates that about 4,157 living Americans carry the surname Celestin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 82,452 residents.
How common is Celestin?
Celestin ranks #8,687 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.21 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 3,625 people with the surname Celestin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,157), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.21 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 Celestin.
Has Celestin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Celestin went from 3,083 recorded bearers to 3,625. That is an increase of 542 (+17.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,434 to #8,687.
What does the Census say about the background of Celestin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Celestin, the largest self-reported group is Black at 84.2%. The next largest groups are White (6.0%) and Hispanic (5.4%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Celestin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.2% (3,051 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Celestin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (84.2%), White (6.0%), Hispanic (5.4%). 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 Celestin (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 Celestin mean?
Derived from the Latin name Caelestinus, meaning "heavenly" or "of the sky." 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 Celestin (1.21 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 are called Celestin?
You can see how common the surname Celestin is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.