Explore the Family Name Castelo

The meaning of Castelo

Galician and Portuguese: habitational name from any of numerous places called Castelo, from castelo ‘castle’ (from Late Latin castellum), see Castillo or Castell. Some characteristic forenames: Spanish Jose, Rodolfo, Eduardo, Miguel, Ramon, Agustin, Amalia, Carlos, Juan, Narciso, Rogelio, Alberto. Portuguese Joao.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Castelo in the United States?

The surname Castelo has seen a significant increase in its popularity based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census. In the year 2000, it was ranked 21,349th, but by 2010, it had climbed to the 18,899th position — an upward shift of approximately 11.48%. The count of individuals bearing this surname also rose during this period from 1,143 to 1,445, marking a substantial growth of 26.42%. Furthermore, the proportion per 100,000 people increased from 0.42 to 0.49, indicating a 16.67% rise.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#21,349	#18,899	11.48%
Count	1,143	1,445	26.42%
Proportion per 100k	0.42	0.49	16.67%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Castelo

Regarding the ethnic identity associated with the surname Castelo, the Decennial U.S. Census data suggests some notable shifts between 2000 and 2010. Those identifying as Hispanic held the majority, increasing from 60.89% to 65.40% over the decade. Meanwhile, the percentage of those identified as Asian/Pacific Islander and White decreased by 10.78% and 15.96%, respectively. Interestingly, there was an emergence of individuals identifying as Black in 2010, which wasn't recorded in 2000. However, no change was reported for those identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native or those claiming two or more races.

	2000	2010	Change
Hispanic	60.89%	65.4%	7.41%
Asian/Pacific Islander	18.46%	16.47%	-10.78%
White	18.11%	15.22%	-15.96%
Black	0%	1.45%	0%
Two or More Races	1.22%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%