2000
#6,410
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,891
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.81
Rare Last name
Gastelum
A Basque habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "a site of an inn or hostel."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,487 Americans carry the last name Gastelum. That puts it at #5,173 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 45,780 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gastelum 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
7.5K
1 in 45,780
Census rank
#5,173
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,529 bearers of the surname Gastelum in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5173rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gastelum, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.1%. The next largest groups are White (5.1%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gastelum
The surname Gastelum has its origins in Spain, and it is believed to have emerged during the medieval period. It is derived from the Basque word "gaztelu," which means "castle" or "fortress." This suggests that the name may have initially been associated with individuals who lived near or worked in castles or fortified structures.
One of the earliest records of the name Gastelum can be found in the Becerro de las Behetrías de Castilla, a medieval census document compiled in the 14th century. This document listed landowners and their properties in the region of Castile, and it included several entries for individuals with the surname Gastelum.
In the 15th century, the name Gastelum appeared in various legal documents and records related to the Spanish Inquisition. One notable individual from this period was Juan de Gastelum, a merchant from Seville who was accused of harboring Jewish converts to Christianity during the Inquisition.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Gastelum family played a significant role in the Spanish colonization of the Americas. Several members of the family were among the early explorers and settlers in the New World. One of the most prominent figures was Pedro de Gastelum, a conquistador who participated in the conquest of Mexico alongside Hernán Cortés in the early 16th century.
In the 18th century, the Gastelum name was associated with several notable figures in the fields of art and literature. Francisco de Gastelum was a renowned Spanish painter known for his religious works, while Juan Antonio de Gastelum was a celebrated poet and playwright whose works were widely performed in Madrid and other Spanish cities.
Another important figure bearing the Gastelum surname was José María de Gastelum, a Mexican military officer and politician who played a crucial role in the Mexican War of Independence in the early 19th century. He served as a general in the insurgent army and later became a prominent statesman in the newly independent Mexico.
Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, the Gastelum family continued to have a presence in various parts of Spain and Latin America. Several individuals with this surname made notable contributions in fields such as education, law, and business.
The surname Gastelum has a rich history that can be traced back to medieval Spain and the Basque region. Its association with castles and fortresses, as well as its presence in historical records and the lives of notable individuals, reflect the cultural and historical significance of this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gastelum
Among Census respondents with the surname Gastelum, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.1%. The next largest groups are White (5.1%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Gastelum 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 Gastelum surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino93.1% · 6,079
- White5.1% · 330
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 68
- Two or more races0.4% · 23
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 18
- Black or African American0.2% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gastelum
Gastelum 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
#5,091
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,880
+1,989 bearers (+40.7%)
Per 100,000 2.33
Rank movement Up 1,319 places
2020
#5,173
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,529
-351 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 2.18
Rank movement Down 82 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,410 | 4,891 | 1.81 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,091 | 6,880 | 2.33 | +1,989 bearers (+40.7%) | Up 1,319 places |
| 2020 | #5,173 | 6,529 | 2.18 | -351 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 82 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 Gastelum 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 | #5,091 | #5,173 | -1.6% |
| Count | 6,880 | 6,529 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.33 | 2.18 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gastelum bearers went from 6,880 to 6,529 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 82 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,091 to #5,173.
FAQ
Gastelum surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gastelum?
Name Census estimates that about 7,487 living Americans carry the surname Gastelum. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 45,780 residents.
How common is Gastelum?
Gastelum ranks #5,173 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.18 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,529 people with the surname Gastelum. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,487), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.18 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.18 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Gastelum.
Has Gastelum become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gastelum went from 6,880 recorded bearers to 6,529. That is a decrease of 351 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,091 to #5,173.
What does the Census say about the background of Gastelum?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gastelum, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.1%. The next largest groups are White (5.1%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Gastelum in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (6,079 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gastelum appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (93.1%), White (5.1%), American Indian/Alaska Native (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 Gastelum (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 Gastelum mean?
A Basque habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "a site of an inn or hostel." 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 Gastelum (2.18 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 Gastelum?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.