2000
#22,185
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,086
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.40
Rare Last name
Gastineau
A locational surname derived from the village of Gastines in northwestern France.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,304 Americans carry the last name Gastineau. That puts it at #23,096 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.38 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 262,848 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gastineau 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
1.3K
1 in 262,848
Census rank
#23,096
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,137 bearers of the surname Gastineau in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.38 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 23096th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gastineau, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.3%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gastineau
The surname Gastineau has its origins in France, specifically in the Charente region. It is derived from the Old French "gastine," which means "wasteland" or "uncultivated land." The name likely emerged during the Middle Ages, possibly as early as the 11th or 12th century.
The earliest known record of the name Gastineau can be found in the Charente region of France, where it was associated with families who resided in or near areas of uncultivated land. The name may have also been used to identify individuals who worked in or managed such lands.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gastineau appears in the "Livre des Bourgeois de Gand" (Book of the Burghers of Ghent), a historical document from the 14th century. This record mentions a Jean Gastineau, who was a merchant from the city of Ghent in present-day Belgium.
In the 15th century, the name Gastineau can be found in the "Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de Saint-Victor" (Cartulary of the Abbey of Saint-Victor), a collection of documents related to the Abbey of Saint-Victor in Paris. This record includes references to individuals with the surname Gastineau who were associated with the abbey.
During the 16th century, the Gastineau family gained prominence in the Charente region. One notable member was Jacques Gastineau (1556-1619), a French jurist and magistrate who served as a counselor in the Parlement of Paris.
Another notable figure with the surname Gastineau was François Gastineau (1660-1739), a French architect and engineer who was responsible for the construction of several important buildings in Paris, including the Palais du Luxembourg and the Petit Trianon at the Palace of Versailles.
In the 18th century, the Gastineau family extended its influence to other parts of France and beyond. One prominent individual was Henri Gastineau (1730-1808), a French naval officer and explorer who participated in several expeditions to the South Pacific.
Another noteworthy figure was Pierre Gastineau (1765-1841), a French military officer who served under Napoleon Bonaparte and participated in numerous campaigns during the Napoleonic Wars.
Throughout history, the surname Gastineau has also been associated with various place names, such as Gastineau Channel in Alaska, named after John Gastineau, an American naval officer in the 19th century, and Gastineau Peak, a mountain in Yellowstone National Park.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gastineau
Among Census respondents with the surname Gastineau, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.3%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Gastineau 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 Gastineau surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.4% · 982
- Two or more races6.3% · 72
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 46
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.5% · 17
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 11
- Black or African American0.8% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gastineau
Gastineau 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
#22,689
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,130
+44 bearers (+4.1%)
Per 100,000 0.38
Rank movement Down 504 places
2020
#23,096
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,137
+7 bearers (+0.6%)
Per 100,000 0.38
Rank movement Down 407 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #22,185 | 1,086 | 0.40 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #22,689 | 1,130 | 0.38 | +44 bearers (+4.1%) | Down 504 places |
| 2020 | #23,096 | 1,137 | 0.38 | +7 bearers (+0.6%) | Down 407 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 Gastineau 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 | #22,689 | #23,096 | -1.8% |
| Count | 1,130 | 1,137 | 0.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.38 | 0.38 | 0.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gastineau bearers went from 1,130 to 1,137 (+0.6% change). The surname moved down 407 positions in the national ranking, going from #22,689 to #23,096.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Gastineau
FAQ
Gastineau surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gastineau?
Name Census estimates that about 1,304 living Americans carry the surname Gastineau. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 262,848 residents.
How common is Gastineau?
Gastineau ranks #23,096 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.38 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 1,137 people with the surname Gastineau. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,304), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.38 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.38 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 Gastineau.
Has Gastineau become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gastineau went from 1,130 recorded bearers to 1,137. That is an increase of 7 (+0.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #22,689 to #23,096.
What does the Census say about the background of Gastineau?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gastineau, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.3%) and Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Gastineau in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.4% (982 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gastineau appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.4%), Two or More Races (6.3%), Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Gastineau (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 Gastineau mean?
A locational surname derived from the village of Gastines in northwestern France. 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 Gastineau (0.38 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 are called Gastineau?
Want to know how many people have the last name Gastineau? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.