2000
#7,779
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,938
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.46
Rare Last name
Kasten
A German occupational surname referring to a chest, box, or cabinet maker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,421 Americans carry the last name Kasten. That puts it at #8,230 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.29 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 77,529 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kasten 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
4.4K
1 in 77,529
Census rank
#8,230
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,855 bearers of the surname Kasten in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.29 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8230th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kasten, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kasten
The surname Kasten originates from Germany, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Middle High German word "kaste," which means "chest" or "box." This could suggest that the name was initially given as an occupational surname to someone who made or sold chests or boxes.
In the 13th century, the name Kasten appeared in various German records and manuscripts, including the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of documents related to the Saxon region. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Johannes Kasten, mentioned in a document from Mainz in 1289.
During the late medieval period, the name Kasten was particularly prevalent in the regions of Saxony, Thuringia, and Franconia. It is likely that the name originated in one of these areas and was later adopted by families in other parts of Germany.
The Kasten surname has also been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. Johann Kasten (1552-1617), a German composer and organist, was active during the Renaissance period and is known for his contributions to sacred music. Another notable bearer of the name was Georg Kasten (1700-1784), a German architect who designed several churches and public buildings in the Baroque style.
In the 19th century, Johann Kasten (1823-1899), a German-American businessman and politician, served as the mayor of St. Louis, Missouri, from 1870 to 1872. He played a significant role in the city's development during the post-Civil War era.
The name Kasten has also been linked to various place names throughout Germany, such as Kastendorf (a village in Saxony-Anhalt) and Kastenholz (a municipality in Rhineland-Palatinate). These place names may have influenced the spread of the surname or vice versa, as people often adopted surnames based on their place of origin or residence.
While the Kasten surname has its roots in Germany, it has since been adopted by families in other parts of the world due to emigration and migration patterns. However, its rich history and origins can be traced back to the medieval period in Central Europe, where it was closely associated with the occupation of chest or box making.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kasten
Among Census respondents with the surname Kasten, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Kasten 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 Kasten surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.2% · 3,592
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 114
- Two or more races2.4% · 91
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 33
- Black or African American0.4% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kasten
Kasten 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
#7,614
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,366
+428 bearers (+10.9%)
Per 100,000 1.48
Rank movement Up 165 places
2020
#8,230
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,855
-511 bearers (-11.7%)
Per 100,000 1.29
Rank movement Down 616 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,779 | 3,938 | 1.46 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,614 | 4,366 | 1.48 | +428 bearers (+10.9%) | Up 165 places |
| 2020 | #8,230 | 3,855 | 1.29 | -511 bearers (-11.7%) | Down 616 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 Kasten 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 | #7,614 | #8,230 | -8.1% |
| Count | 4,366 | 3,855 | -11.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.48 | 1.29 | -12.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kasten bearers went from 4,366 to 3,855 (-11.7% change). The surname moved down 616 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,614 to #8,230.
FAQ
Kasten surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kasten?
Name Census estimates that about 4,421 living Americans carry the surname Kasten. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 77,529 residents.
How common is Kasten?
Kasten ranks #8,230 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.29 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,855 people with the surname Kasten. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,421), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.29 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.29 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Kasten.
Has Kasten become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kasten went from 4,366 recorded bearers to 3,855. That is a decrease of 511 (-11.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,614 to #8,230.
What does the Census say about the background of Kasten?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kasten, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Kasten in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (3,592 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kasten appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.2%), Hispanic (3.0%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Kasten (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 Kasten mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a chest, box, or cabinet maker. 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 Kasten (1.29 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 Kasten?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.