Castle
A surname that usually began as a name for someone who lived by or worked at a castle or fortified place.
The #1,744 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 15,036 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is most often occupational or locational in sense: it was given to someone living near, working in, or connected with a castle. The word ultimately goes back to Latin castellum, meaning a fort or small fortress, which passed into Old French and then Middle English as castle. In some cases it may also have been used for people associated with a particular castle-place rather than for the building itself.
History
The name appears in English records in several related forms and is found especially in areas where castles were prominent landmarks. Some later surname forms and place-name connections may reflect residence at a specific fortified site, while others simply describe proximity to one. The spelling Castle became the standard modern form.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same Latin root behind Castle also produced related surnames and words in several European languages, including Castell and Castello.
From the historical record
“Jamieson. CASTLE. From residence in one. De Castello. H.R. CASTLEGATE. From residence near the gate of a foi-tress. CASTLEiNIAN. One who had the care of a castle — a castellan. CASTLEY. A to^mship in Yorkshire. CASTON. A parish in Norfolk.”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United KingdomNotable people named Castle
- Punisher (b. 1950)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.