2000
#130,443
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Costill
An English habitational surname indicating one who came from Costill in Berkshire, England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 112 Americans carry the last name Costill. That puts it at #156,269 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,060,307 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Costill 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
112
1 in 3,060,307
Census rank
#156,269
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
98
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 98 bearers of the surname Costill in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156269th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Costill, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.1%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Costill
The surname Costill originates from England and can be traced back to the early 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "coste" meaning "coast" and "hill" referring to a coastal hill or settlement near the shore. The earliest recorded spelling of the name appears as "Costhulle" in the Court Rolls of the County of Sussex in 1296.
The Costill family is believed to have originated from the coastal regions of southern England, particularly in counties like Sussex, Kent, and Dorset. Some historians suggest that the name may have been influenced by the Norman-French word "costille" meaning "a small hill" or "a slope".
In the Domesday Book of 1086, there are several references to places with similar names such as "Costeseia" in Norfolk and "Costouwe" in Wiltshire, indicating the possible presence of early Costill families in these areas.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Costill was William Costill, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Sussex in 1230. Another early record is that of John Costill, a landowner in Kent, whose name appears in the Feet of Fines for the county in 1311.
In the 16th century, a notable figure was Sir Robert Costill (1520-1589), a wealthy merchant and alderman of the City of London. He served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1585 and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth I.
During the English Civil War in the 17th century, a Captain Thomas Costill (1610-1678) served in the Parliamentarian forces under Oliver Cromwell. He fought in several battles, including the Battle of Naseby in 1645.
In the 18th century, the Reverend William Costill (1732-1812) was a prominent clergyman and author from Yorkshire. He published several religious works and served as the vicar of St. Mary's Church in Beverley.
Another notable individual was Sir Henry Costill (1786-1864), a British naval officer who rose to the rank of Admiral in the Royal Navy. He played a significant role in the Napoleonic Wars and was awarded the Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath for his service.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Costill
Among Census respondents with the surname Costill, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.1%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Costill 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 Costill surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 90
- Hispanic or Latino7.1% · 7
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Costill
Costill 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
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-6 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,777 places
2020
#156,269
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 98
-16 bearers (-14.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 11,049 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #130,443 | 120 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 14,777 places |
| 2020 | #156,269 | 98 | 0.03 | -16 bearers (-14.0%) | Down 11,049 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 Costill 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 | #145,220 | #156,269 | -7.6% |
| Count | 114 | 98 | -14.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -18.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Costill bearers went from 114 to 98 (-14.0% change). The surname moved down 11,049 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #156,269.
FAQ
Costill surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Costill?
Name Census estimates that about 112 living Americans carry the surname Costill. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,060,307 residents.
How common is Costill?
Costill ranks #156,269 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 98 people with the surname Costill. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (112), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Costill.
Has Costill become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Costill went from 114 recorded bearers to 98. That is a decrease of 16 (-14.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #156,269.
What does the Census say about the background of Costill?
Among Census respondents with the surname Costill, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.1%) and Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Costill in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (90 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Costill appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Hispanic (7.1%), Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Costill (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 Costill mean?
An English habitational surname indicating one who came from Costill in Berkshire, England. 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 Costill (0.03 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 have the surname Costill?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.