2010
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Gastelu
A Basque surname derived from the placename Gastelu, meaning "castle" or "fortified house".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Gastelu. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gastelu 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Gastelu in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gastelu, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 73.3%. The next largest groups are White (19.8%) and Black (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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The name GASTELU has also been found in historical documents from neighboring regions, such as Aragon and Catalonia, suggesting that people with this surname may have migrated or established connections in those areas.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gastelu
Among Census respondents with the surname Gastelu, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 73.3%. The next largest groups are White (19.8%) and Black (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Gastelu 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 Gastelu surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino73.3% · 85
- White19.8% · 23
- Black or African American3.4% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gastelu
Gastelu appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+13 bearers (+12.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 12,206 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | +13 bearers (+12.6%) | Up 12,206 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 Gastelu 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 | #157,234 | #145,028 | 7.8% |
| Count | 103 | 116 | 12.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 29.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gastelu bearers went from 103 to 116 (+12.6% change). The surname moved up 12,206 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #145,028.
FAQ
Gastelu surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gastelu?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Gastelu. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Gastelu?
Gastelu ranks #145,028 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 116 people with the surname Gastelu. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Gastelu.
Has Gastelu become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gastelu went from 103 recorded bearers to 116. That is an increase of 13 (+12.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Gastelu?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gastelu, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 73.3%. The next largest groups are White (19.8%) and Black (3.4%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Gastelu in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.3% (85 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gastelu appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (73.3%), White (19.8%), Black (3.4%). 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 Gastelu (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 Gastelu mean?
A Basque surname derived from the placename Gastelu, meaning "castle" or "fortified house". 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 Gastelu (0.04 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 last name Gastelu?
See how many people have the surname Gastelu on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.