2000
#2,469
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,403
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.97
Uncommon Last name
Chastain
A French toponymic surname derived from several places in France meaning "chestnut grove" or "place planted with chestnuts."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 15,075 Americans carry the last name Chastain. That puts it at #2,676 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.40 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 22,737 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chastain 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
15K
1 in 22,737
Census rank
#2,676
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,146 bearers of the surname Chastain in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.40 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2676th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chastain, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chastain
Among Census respondents with the surname Chastain, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Chastain 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 Chastain surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.5% · 11,892
- Two or more races4.5% · 598
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 389
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 112
- Black or African American0.6% · 81
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 74
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chastain
Chastain 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
#2,637
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,655
+252 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 4.63
Rank movement Down 168 places
2020
#2,676
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,146
-509 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 4.40
Rank movement Down 39 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,469 | 13,403 | 4.97 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,637 | 13,655 | 4.63 | +252 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 168 places |
| 2020 | #2,676 | 13,146 | 4.40 | -509 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 39 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 Chastain 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 | #2,637 | #2,676 | -1.5% |
| Count | 13,655 | 13,146 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 4.63 | 4.40 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chastain bearers went from 13,655 to 13,146 (-3.7% change). The surname moved down 39 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,637 to #2,676.
FAQ
Chastain surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chastain?
Name Census estimates that about 15,075 living Americans carry the surname Chastain. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 22,737 residents.
How common is Chastain?
Chastain ranks #2,676 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.40 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,146 people with the surname Chastain. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (15,075), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.4 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.40 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Chastain.
Has Chastain become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chastain went from 13,655 recorded bearers to 13,146. That is a decrease of 509 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,637 to #2,676.
What does the Census say about the background of Chastain?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chastain, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Chastain in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.5% (11,892 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chastain appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.5%), Two or More Races (4.5%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Chastain (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 Chastain mean?
A French toponymic surname derived from several places in France meaning "chestnut grove" or "place planted with chestnuts." 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 Chastain (4.40 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 Chastain?
See how many Americans have the surname Chastain on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.