2000
#14,574
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,873
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.69
Rare Last name
Costin
A Romanian occupational surname derived from the word "coastă," meaning "rib," likely referring to a butcher or meat cutter.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,063 Americans carry the last name Costin. That puts it at #15,631 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 166,144 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Costin 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Costin with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 166,144
Census rank
#15,631
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,799 bearers of the surname Costin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15631st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Costin, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Black (7.7%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Costin
The surname COSTIN has its origins in England and dates back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "costen," which means "constable" or "keeper of the peace." The earliest recorded use of the name can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Costentinus."
The name was initially concentrated in the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex, where many early bearers of the surname were employed as constables or law enforcement officials. Over time, the name spread to other parts of England and evolved into various spellings, such as Costyn, Costen, and Costin.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname COSTIN was William Costin, a landowner in Norfolk who lived during the 13th century. Another notable bearer of the name was John Costin, a merchant from London who was involved in the wool trade in the 15th century.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, several individuals with the surname COSTIN made their mark in various fields. Thomas Costin (1567-1635) was a renowned physician who served as the personal doctor to King James I of England. Edward Costin (1592-1669) was a prominent lawyer and member of the Inner Temple in London.
In the 18th century, the COSTIN surname gained further recognition with the exploits of Captain William Costin (1718-1789), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Seven Years' War and the American Revolutionary War. He was known for his bravery and leadership skills in several notable sea battles.
Another remarkable individual with the surname COSTIN was Sir Edmund Costin (1772-1845), a British politician and Member of Parliament for the constituency of Rye in Sussex. He was a vocal advocate for parliamentary reform and played a significant role in the debates leading up to the Reform Act of 1832.
Throughout history, the COSTIN surname has been associated with various professions, including law enforcement, medicine, law, military service, and politics. While the name has evolved in spelling over the centuries, its origins can be traced back to the medieval period in England, where it was initially associated with the role of a constable or keeper of the peace.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Costin
Among Census respondents with the surname Costin, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Black (7.7%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Costin 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 Costin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.5% · 1,521
- Black or African American7.7% · 139
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 60
- Two or more races2.7% · 48
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Costin
Costin 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
#14,713
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,019
+146 bearers (+7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Down 139 places
2020
#15,631
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,799
-220 bearers (-10.9%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Down 918 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,574 | 1,873 | 0.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,713 | 2,019 | 0.68 | +146 bearers (+7.8%) | Down 139 places |
| 2020 | #15,631 | 1,799 | 0.60 | -220 bearers (-10.9%) | Down 918 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 Costin 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 | #14,713 | #15,631 | -6.2% |
| Count | 2,019 | 1,799 | -10.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.68 | 0.60 | -11.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Costin bearers went from 2,019 to 1,799 (-10.9% change). The surname moved down 918 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,713 to #15,631.
FAQ
Costin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Costin?
Name Census estimates that about 2,063 living Americans carry the surname Costin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 166,144 residents.
How common is Costin?
Costin ranks #15,631 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.60 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 1,799 people with the surname Costin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,063), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.60 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 Costin.
Has Costin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Costin went from 2,019 recorded bearers to 1,799. That is a decrease of 220 (-10.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,713 to #15,631.
What does the Census say about the background of Costin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Costin, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Black (7.7%) and Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Costin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.5% (1,521 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Costin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.5%), Black (7.7%), Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Costin (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 Costin mean?
A Romanian occupational surname derived from the word "coastă," meaning "rib," likely referring to a butcher or meat cutter. 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 Costin (0.60 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 share the surname Costin?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.