2000
#8,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,802
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.41
Rare Last name
Chasteen
Derived from a place name meaning "chestnut grove" in French, likely referring to someone who lived near such a grove.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,925 Americans carry the last name Chasteen. That puts it at #9,161 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.15 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 87,326 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chasteen 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
3.9K
1 in 87,326
Census rank
#9,161
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,423 bearers of the surname Chasteen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.15 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9161st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chasteen, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chasteen
The surname Chasteen originated in France and is a variant spelling of the French name Chastain. The name can be traced back to the 12th century in the region of Normandy, France. It is derived from the Old French word "chasteine," meaning "chestnut tree."
The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 13th century, with records showing individuals named Chastain or Chasteine residing in various parts of Normandy. One notable mention is in the Livre des Bourgeois d'Abbeville, a 13th-century manuscript listing the names of prominent citizens in the town of Abbeville, which included several individuals with the surname Chastain.
During the Norman Conquest of England in the 11th century, many Norman families, including those bearing the name Chastain or its variants, settled in Britain. This led to the name's introduction into English records and documents.
In the 14th century, the surname appeared in various spellings, such as Chasteine, Chastein, and Chastien, in tax rolls and other official records in Normandy and neighboring regions.
Notable individuals with the surname Chasteen or its variants include:
1. Jean Chastain (c. 1365 - c. 1430), a French knight and nobleman from Normandy who fought in the Hundred Years' War.
2. Robert Chastain (c. 1520 - c. 1590), an English merchant and landowner in Gloucestershire, known for his involvement in the wool trade.
3. Marguerite Chastain (c. 1585 - c. 1650), a French noblewoman and patron of the arts, known for her support of writers and artists in 17th-century Paris.
4. William Chasteen (c. 1645 - c. 1710), an English settler and farmer in Virginia, one of the earliest recorded instances of the Chasteen spelling in the American colonies.
5. Marie-Anne Chasteen (c. 1760 - c. 1830), a French educator and writer who established several schools for girls in Paris during the late 18th century.
The name Chasteen has also been associated with various place names in France, such as Châtain-sur-Indre, Châtain-Porte-de-Châtres, and Châtain-sur-Thouet, which likely derived their names from the presence of chestnut trees in those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chasteen
Among Census respondents with the surname Chasteen, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Chasteen 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 Chasteen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 3,137
- Two or more races4.6% · 156
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 68
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 29
- Black or African American0.6% · 19
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chasteen
Chasteen 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
#8,641
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,805
+3 bearers (+0.1%)
Per 100,000 1.29
Rank movement Down 597 places
2020
#9,161
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,423
-382 bearers (-10.0%)
Per 100,000 1.15
Rank movement Down 520 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,044 | 3,802 | 1.41 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,641 | 3,805 | 1.29 | +3 bearers (+0.1%) | Down 597 places |
| 2020 | #9,161 | 3,423 | 1.15 | -382 bearers (-10.0%) | Down 520 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 Chasteen 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 | #8,641 | #9,161 | -6.0% |
| Count | 3,805 | 3,423 | -10.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.29 | 1.15 | -11.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chasteen bearers went from 3,805 to 3,423 (-10.0% change). The surname moved down 520 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,641 to #9,161.
FAQ
Chasteen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chasteen?
Name Census estimates that about 3,925 living Americans carry the surname Chasteen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 87,326 residents.
How common is Chasteen?
Chasteen ranks #9,161 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.15 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 3,423 people with the surname Chasteen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,925), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.15 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.15 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 Chasteen.
Has Chasteen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chasteen went from 3,805 recorded bearers to 3,423. That is a decrease of 382 (-10.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,641 to #9,161.
What does the Census say about the background of Chasteen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chasteen, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Chasteen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (3,137 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chasteen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Two or More Races (4.6%), Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Chasteen (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 Chasteen mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "chestnut grove" in French, likely referring to someone who lived near such a grove. 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 Chasteen (1.15 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 Chasteen?
You can see how common the surname Chasteen is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.