Explore the Family Name Castor
The meaning of Castor
1. French, German, Spanish, and West Indian (mainly Haiti): from the Latin personal name Castor, borne by one of the Greco-Roman mythological Dioscuri twins (the other being Pollux) and by several early Christian saints (see Kastor 1). 2. English (Nottinghamshire): habitational name from any of the places called Caistor, in Lincolnshire, Caister in Norfolk, or Castor in Northamptonshire, all named with Old English cæster ‘Roman fort or town’. 3. German: humanistic surname, a translation into Latin of Biber, from castor ‘beaver’. 4. Americanized form of German Kaster.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Castor in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Castor grew in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Castor ranked 5944th in popularity with a count of 5331, equating to 1.98 per 100k people in the U.S. By 2010, the rank had improved to 5722nd with a count of 6063, an increase of 13.73 percent from 2000. This represented a proportion of 2.06 per 100k people, showing a relative increase in popularity of 4.04 percent.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #5,944 | #5,722 | 3.73% |
| Count | 5,331 | 6,063 | 13.73% |
| Proportion per 100k | 1.98 | 2.06 | 4.04% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Castor
The ethnic identity associated with the Castor surname also shifted over this decade, according to the Decennial U.S. Census data. The percentage of individuals identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and Black increased by 37.90 percent and 34.74 percent respectively, while there was a growth of 19.44 percent among those identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native. Those identifying as Hispanic saw a rise of 16.76 percent. However, the proportion of individuals identifying as White decreased by 10.22 percent. There was also a slight decline of 11.44 percent among those claiming two or more races.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 68.32% | 61.34% | -10.22% |
| Hispanic | 17.6% | 20.55% | 16.76% |
| Black | 8.29% | 11.17% | 34.74% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 3.43% | 4.73% | 37.9% |
| Two or More Races | 2.01% | 1.78% | -11.44% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.36% | 0.43% | 19.44% |
Castor ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Castor is British & Irish, which comprises 46.6% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (21.8%) and Spanish & Portuguese (5.3%). Additional ancestries include Indigenous American, Scandinavian, Filipino & Austronesian, Italian, and Eastern European.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 46.6% |
| French & German | 21.8% |
| Spanish & Portuguese | 5.3% |
| Other | 26.2% |
Possible origins of the surname Castor
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Castor have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Belfast, United Kingdom | 70.80% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 70.80% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 70.80% |
| Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom | 70.80% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 70.80% |
What Castor haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Castor is I-CTS10057, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup I-CTS10057 is descended from haplogroup I-M170. Other common haplogroups include I-Z161 and R-P312, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Kester, Ralston, Rader, Whittle, Custer, Martineau, Buell, Babbitt, Keeler, Bee.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Castor surname are: H1, H, J1. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins I-M170Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Castor have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Castor" Surname 44.0%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Cheek Dimples
Small indentations that appear on the cheeks when a person smiles.
"Castor" Surname 38.9%
23andMe Users 37.6%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Castor" Surname 31.6%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Castor" Surname 14.7%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Castor?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Castor are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition