Gastelu last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Gastelu

A Basque surname derived from the placename Gastelu, meaning "castle" or "fortified house".

Gastelu, 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 Gastelu surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gastelu in America

Gastelu is the 157234th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gastelu surname appeared 103 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Gastelu.

The history of the last name Gastelu

The surname GASTELU has its origins in the Basque region of Spain and France. It is believed to have derived from the Basque word "gastelu," which means "castle" or "fort." This suggests that the name may have originated from a person who lived near or was associated with a castle or fortified structure.

The earliest known record of the name GASTELU can be traced back to the 12th century in the Navarre region of northern Spain. In a document dated 1189, a person named Martín de Gastelu is mentioned as a landowner in the village of Olite.

In the 13th century, the name appears in various records from the Basque provinces of Gipuzkoa and Bizkaia. For example, in 1267, a nobleman named Lope García de Gastelu is recorded as owning land near the town of Durango.

The name GASTELU has also been found in historical documents from neighboring regions, such as Aragon and Catalonia, suggesting that people with this surname may have migrated or established connections in those areas.

One notable figure bearing the surname GASTELU was Juan de Gastelu, a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Peru in the 16th century. He was born in the Basque Country around 1490 and accompanied Francisco Pizarro's expedition to South America in 1532.

Another prominent individual was Miguel de Gastelu, a Basque architect and military engineer who lived in the 17th century. He was responsible for designing and constructing several fortifications and buildings in northern Spain and southern France.

In the 18th century, a family by the name of Gastelu owned a large estate in the town of Berástegui, in the Basque province of Gipuzkoa. One member of this family, José María de Gastelu y Arrizabalaga (1768-1842), served as a military officer and fought in the Peninsular War against the French invasion of Spain.

The surname GASTELU has also been found in historical records from other European countries, such as France and Italy, suggesting that individuals with this name may have migrated or established connections in those regions over the centuries.

It's worth noting that the spelling of the name has varied slightly over time, with variations such as "Gastelu," "Gastello," and "Gaztelu" appearing in different records.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gastelu

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

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 Gastelu was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 30.10% 31
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 0.00% 0
Hispanic Origin 67.96% 70

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.

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

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

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Gastelu last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 26, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/gastelu-surname-popularity/.

"Gastelu last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/gastelu-surname-popularity/. Accessed 26 December, 2024

Gastelu last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/gastelu-surname-popularity/.

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