2000
#114,852
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 141
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Kastberg
A Swedish surname derived from a placename meaning "castle hill".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Kastberg. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kastberg 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Kastberg in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kastberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Black (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kastberg
The surname Kastberg traces its roots back to Sweden, where it first emerged in the 17th century. It is believed to be derived from the Swedish words "kast" meaning "throw" or "cast" and "berg" meaning "mountain" or "hill." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near or worked on a hill or mountain where objects were thrown or cast.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kastberg can be found in the Swedish church records from the late 1600s. These records document the birth and baptism of a child named Anna Kastberg in the village of Torsåker, located in the province of Södermanland.
In the 18th century, the Kastberg name appears in various Swedish military records, indicating that members of the family served in the armed forces during this period. One notable individual was Johan Kastberg, a soldier who fought in the Great Northern War against Russia between 1700 and 1721.
As the 19th century approached, the Kastberg family began to spread beyond Sweden's borders. Historical records show that in the 1820s, a man named Carl Kastberg emigrated from Sweden to the United States, settling in the state of Illinois. He is believed to be one of the first individuals with this surname to establish himself in North America.
Another prominent figure bearing the Kastberg name was Gustaf Kastberg, a Swedish-born artist who lived from 1839 to 1920. He was known for his landscape paintings, which often depicted scenes from the Swedish countryside.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Kastberg surname gained recognition in the field of academia. One such individual was Erik Kastberg, a Swedish mathematician and physicist who was born in 1876 and made significant contributions to the study of atomic and molecular spectroscopy.
While the Kastberg name has remained relatively uncommon globally, it has maintained a strong presence in Sweden and other Scandinavian countries throughout its history. The name's origins and evolution reflect the rich cultural heritage of the Swedish people and their connection to the rugged landscapes of their homeland.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kastberg
Among Census respondents with the surname Kastberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Black (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Kastberg 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 Kastberg surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.0% · 114
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 3
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kastberg
Kastberg 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
#126,765
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 135
-6 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 11,913 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-15 bearers (-11.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,284 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #114,852 | 141 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #126,765 | 135 | 0.05 | -6 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 11,913 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | -15 bearers (-11.1%) | Down 15,284 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 Kastberg 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 | #126,765 | #142,049 | -12.1% |
| Count | 135 | 120 | -11.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -19.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kastberg bearers went from 135 to 120 (-11.1% change). The surname moved down 15,284 positions in the national ranking, going from #126,765 to #142,049.
FAQ
Kastberg surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kastberg?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Kastberg. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Kastberg?
Kastberg ranks #142,049 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 120 people with the surname Kastberg. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), 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 Kastberg.
Has Kastberg become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kastberg went from 135 recorded bearers to 120. That is a decrease of 15 (-11.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #126,765 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Kastberg?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kastberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Black (0.8%). 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 Kastberg in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.0% (114 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kastberg appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.0%), Hispanic (2.5%), Black (0.8%). 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 Kastberg (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 Kastberg mean?
A Swedish surname derived from a placename meaning "castle hill". 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 Kastberg (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 common is the surname Kastberg?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Kastberg, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.