2000
#44,192
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 459
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.17
Very Rare Last name
Castanos
A surname referring to someone with chestnut colored hair or complexion.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 835 Americans carry the last name Castanos. That puts it at #33,651 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 410,484 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Castanos 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
835
1 in 410,484
Census rank
#33,651
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
728
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 728 bearers of the surname Castanos in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 33651st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Castanos, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 81.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (8.8%) and White (8.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Castanos
The surname Castanos is a Spanish or Portuguese topographic name derived from the word "castaño" meaning "chestnut tree." It originated in regions of Spain and Portugal where chestnut trees were abundant, such as Galicia, Asturias, and the northern parts of Portugal.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Castanos can be traced back to the 12th century in Galicia, Spain. In the Tumbo Viejo de Lugo, a medieval cartulary from the Cathedral of Lugo, there are references to individuals with the surname Castanos or similar variations like Castaño or Castanho.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various documents from the Kingdom of Castile and León, indicating its spread throughout the Iberian Peninsula. One notable example is Pedro Castanos, a nobleman mentioned in the Libro de las Behetrías de Castilla, a medieval census of landowners and their properties.
During the 15th and 16th centuries, the Castanos surname gained prominence as Spanish explorers and colonists carried it to the Americas. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname in the New World was Diego de Castanos, a conquistador who participated in the conquest of Mexico alongside Hernán Cortés in the early 16th century.
Another noteworthy figure with the Castanos surname was Juan de Castanos, a Spanish military engineer and architect who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He was responsible for fortifying several cities in Spain and designing numerous military structures.
In the 18th century, José Castanos y Rodríguez (1756-1812) was a prominent Spanish military leader who played a significant role in the Peninsular War against the French armies of Napoleon.
Moving into the 19th century, Joaquín Castanos Montijano (1852-1911) was a Spanish painter known for his realistic depictions of everyday life and genre scenes.
In the 20th century, Gerardo Castanos (1912-1984) was a renowned Mexican composer and musician who contributed to the development of contemporary Mexican music.
The Castanos surname has its roots in the Iberian Peninsula, specifically in regions with a strong presence of chestnut trees. It has a long and rich history, with notable individuals bearing this name across various fields, including exploration, military, architecture, art, and music.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Castanos
Among Census respondents with the surname Castanos, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 81.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (8.8%) and White (8.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Castanos 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 Castanos surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino81.5% · 593
- Asian and Pacific Islander8.8% · 64
- White8.2% · 60
- Black or African American0.5% · 4
- Two or more races0.5% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Castanos
Castanos 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
#39,486
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 557
+98 bearers (+21.4%)
Per 100,000 0.19
Rank movement Up 4,706 places
2020
#33,651
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 728
+171 bearers (+30.7%)
Per 100,000 0.24
Rank movement Up 5,835 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #44,192 | 459 | 0.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #39,486 | 557 | 0.19 | +98 bearers (+21.4%) | Up 4,706 places |
| 2020 | #33,651 | 728 | 0.24 | +171 bearers (+30.7%) | Up 5,835 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 Castanos 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 | #39,486 | #33,651 | 14.8% |
| Count | 557 | 728 | 30.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.19 | 0.24 | 28.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Castanos bearers went from 557 to 728 (+30.7% change). The surname moved up 5,835 positions in the national ranking, going from #39,486 to #33,651.
FAQ
Castanos surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Castanos?
Name Census estimates that about 835 living Americans carry the surname Castanos. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 410,484 residents.
How common is Castanos?
Castanos ranks #33,651 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.24 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 728 people with the surname Castanos. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (835), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.24 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 Castanos.
Has Castanos become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Castanos went from 557 recorded bearers to 728. That is an increase of 171 (+30.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #39,486 to #33,651.
What does the Census say about the background of Castanos?
Among Census respondents with the surname Castanos, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 81.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (8.8%) and White (8.2%). 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 Castanos in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.5% (593 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Castanos appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (81.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (8.8%), White (8.2%). 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 Castanos (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 Castanos mean?
A surname referring to someone with chestnut colored hair or complexion. 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 Castanos (0.24 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 have the surname Castanos?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.