2000
#13,282
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.78
Rare Last name
Nicastro
From the Italian place name derived from Latin "Neo Castrum," meaning "new castle" or "new fortress."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,242 Americans carry the last name Nicastro. That puts it at #14,620 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 152,879 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nicastro 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
2.2K
1 in 152,879
Census rank
#14,620
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,955 bearers of the surname Nicastro in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14620th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nicastro, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (1.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nicastro
The surname Nicastro is of Italian origin, specifically from the town of Nicastro in the province of Catanzaro, Calabria. Its roots can be traced back to the 11th century, when the town was known as Niceastrum or Neocastrum, which means "new castle" in Latin.
Nicastro was initially a topographic name, referring to a person who hailed from the town of the same name. In medieval times, it was common for people to adopt surnames derived from the places they lived or were born.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Nicastro appears in the Catalogus Baronum, a medieval register of feudal landholdings in the Kingdom of Sicily, dated around 1150. This document mentions a certain Robertus de Nicastro, who was a landowner in the region.
In the 13th century, the name Nicastro is found in the Angevin records of the Kingdom of Naples, which was ruled by the French House of Anjou at the time. These records document a nobleman named Guglielmo Nicastro, who lived during the reign of King Charles I of Naples (1226-1285).
During the Renaissance, the Nicastro family had a notable presence in the city of Naples. One of the most prominent figures was Francesco Nicastro (1495-1568), a renowned architect and engineer who designed several churches and palaces in Naples, including the Church of Santa Maria della Consolazione.
Another notable bearer of the surname was Giovan Battista Nicastro (1657-1725), an Italian sculptor from Calabria who worked extensively in Rome and created numerous religious sculptures for churches and public spaces.
In the 18th century, the Nicastro family produced several military officers who served in the Neapolitan army. One such figure was Domenico Nicastro (1725-1798), a general who fought in the Napoleonic Wars and was awarded the Order of Saint Ferdinand and Merit for his bravery.
Towards the end of the 19th century, Giuseppe Nicastro (1834-1908) was a renowned Italian painter and art critic who became known for his portraits and landscapes, as well as his writings on art theory and criticism.
Throughout history, the surname Nicastro has been associated with various professions, including artists, architects, military leaders, and scholars, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and accomplishments of those who bore this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nicastro
Among Census respondents with the surname Nicastro, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (1.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Nicastro 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 Nicastro surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 1,812
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 89
- Two or more races1.4% · 28
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 14
- Black or African American0.6% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nicastro
Nicastro 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
#14,046
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,144
+37 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Down 764 places
2020
#14,620
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,955
-189 bearers (-8.8%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Down 574 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,282 | 2,107 | 0.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,046 | 2,144 | 0.73 | +37 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 764 places |
| 2020 | #14,620 | 1,955 | 0.65 | -189 bearers (-8.8%) | Down 574 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 Nicastro 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 | #14,046 | #14,620 | -4.1% |
| Count | 2,144 | 1,955 | -8.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.73 | 0.65 | -10.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nicastro bearers went from 2,144 to 1,955 (-8.8% change). The surname moved down 574 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,046 to #14,620.
FAQ
Nicastro surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nicastro?
Name Census estimates that about 2,242 living Americans carry the surname Nicastro. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 152,879 residents.
How common is Nicastro?
Nicastro ranks #14,620 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.65 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 1,955 people with the surname Nicastro. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,242), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.65 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 Nicastro.
Has Nicastro become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nicastro went from 2,144 recorded bearers to 1,955. That is a decrease of 189 (-8.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,046 to #14,620.
What does the Census say about the background of Nicastro?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nicastro, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (1.4%). 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 Nicastro in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (1,812 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nicastro appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.7%), Hispanic (4.6%), Two or More Races (1.4%). 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 Nicastro (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 Nicastro mean?
From the Italian place name derived from Latin "Neo Castrum," meaning "new castle" or "new fortress." 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 Nicastro (0.65 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 Nicastro?
If you just want to know how common the surname Nicastro is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.