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

Chastain, 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 Chastain surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Chastain in America

Chastain is the 2637th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Chastain surname appeared 13,655 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname Chastain.

We can also compare 2010 data for Chastain 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 Chastain

The surname Chastain has its origins in France, where it was derived from the Old French word "chastenai," meaning "chestnut tree." The name likely originated in the 12th or 13th century in the Normandy region of northern France.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Chastain can be found in medieval French records and documents. One notable example is a reference to a nobleman named Robert de Chastain in a 13th-century manuscript from the Duchy of Normandy.

Over time, the name Chastain spread to other regions of France and eventually to other parts of Europe and the Americas. In England, for example, the name was sometimes anglicized to Chestain or Chesten.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name Chastain was Jean Chastain, a French explorer who accompanied Jacques Cartier on his voyages to Canada in the 16th century. Another notable figure was Pierre Chastain, a French soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War and later settled in Louisiana.

In the 19th century, the Chastain name gained prominence in the United States. One notable individual was Brigadier General John Chastain (1824-1892), a Union Army officer during the American Civil War. Another was Emma Chastain (1846-1927), an American educator and advocate for women's rights.

Other notable individuals with the surname Chastain include:

1. André Chastain (1912-2004), a French painter and sculptor.
2. John Chastain (1929-2008), an American football player and coach.
3. Mary Chastain (born 1953), an American actress known for her roles in television and film.
4. Brandi Chastain (born 1968), a retired American soccer player and two-time Olympic gold medalist.
5. Justin Chastain (born 1981), an American professional baseball player.

Throughout its history, the surname Chastain has been associated with various places and locations, particularly in France and the United States, where it has been linked to specific towns, cities, or regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Chastain

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

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 Chastain 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 Chastain 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 Chastain was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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