NameCensus.

UK surname

Caston

An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "enclosure or settlement by a heap of stones."

In the 1881 census there were 300 people recorded with the Caston surname, ranking it #9,724 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 256, ranked #16,534, down from #9,724 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Old Artillery Ground, London parishes and Beccles. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Mid Suffolk, Kensington and Chelsea and South Norfolk.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Caston is 393 in 1891. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 14.7%.

1881 census count

300

Ranked #9,724

Modern count

256

2016, ranked #16,534

Peak year

1891

393 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Caston had 300 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #9,724 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 256 in 2016, ranked #16,534.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 393 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Caston surname distribution map

The map shows where the Caston surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Caston surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Caston over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 273 #8,212
1861 historical 383 #6,680
1881 historical 300 #9,724
1891 historical 393 #8,995
1901 historical 286 #12,029
1911 historical 335 #10,584
1997 modern 271 #14,486
1998 modern 288 #14,249
1999 modern 283 #14,501
2000 modern 286 #14,385
2001 modern 277 #14,474
2002 modern 284 #14,524
2003 modern 269 #14,855
2004 modern 276 #14,684
2005 modern 272 #14,742
2006 modern 268 #15,000
2007 modern 270 #15,080
2008 modern 269 #15,260
2009 modern 257 #16,099
2010 modern 262 #16,252
2011 modern 267 #15,892
2012 modern 251 #16,467
2013 modern 261 #16,309
2014 modern 251 #16,865
2015 modern 250 #16,803
2016 modern 256 #16,534

Geography

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Where Castons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Old Artillery Ground, London parishes, Beccles, Tottenham and St Matthew Bethnal Green. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Mid Suffolk, Kensington and Chelsea, South Norfolk and South Hams. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Old Artillery Ground London (East Districts)
2 London parishes London 3
3 Beccles Suffolk
4 Tottenham Middlesex (Exclusive Of London Districts)
5 St Matthew Bethnal Green London (East Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Mid Suffolk 011 Mid Suffolk
2 Kensington and Chelsea 010 Kensington and Chelsea
3 South Norfolk 011 South Norfolk
4 South Norfolk 008 South Norfolk
5 South Hams 004 South Hams

Forenames

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First names often paired with Caston

These lists show first names that appear often with the Caston surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Caston

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Caston, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Caston surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Caston household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Caston is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Caston is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Caston falls in decile 5 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Caston is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Caston, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Caston

The surname Caston is of English origin, emerging in the early medieval period around the 11th century. It is derived from the Old English words "cæster" or "cæstir," which refer to a Roman fortified town or a walled city. This suggests that the name originally denoted someone who lived in or near a fortified settlement or town.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Caston can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of landowners and their holdings commissioned by William the Conqueror. The Domesday Book mentions individuals with the name Caston residing in various parts of England, primarily in the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk.

During the Middle Ages, the surname Caston appeared in various historical records, such as the Pipe Rolls of Hertfordshire (1195), which listed a person named Adam de Caston. The name also appeared in the Feet of Fines for Essex (1310), which recorded a land transaction involving a William de Caston.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name Caston was Sir John Caston, a prominent nobleman who lived in the 14th century. He held significant landholdings in Norfolk and served as a knight in the service of King Edward III during the Hundred Years' War.

In the 15th century, a notable figure named William Caxton (c. 1422-1492) emerged as a merchant, writer, and most importantly, the first English printer to introduce the printing press to England. He is credited with publishing the first book printed in English, "The Recuyell of the Historyes of Troye," in 1475.

Another individual of note was Sir William Caston (1572-1645), an English soldier and politician who served as a Member of Parliament and fought in the English Civil War on the side of the Parliamentarians.

During the 17th century, the surname Caston was also found in the New World, with records showing individuals bearing the name among the early settlers in the American colonies, such as John Caston, who settled in Virginia in 1635.

Throughout history, the surname Caston has been subject to various spelling variations, including Caston, Castin, Casston, and Castun, reflecting the evolution of language and regional dialects.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Caston families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Caston surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Middlesex leads with 87 Castons recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.05x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 87 3.05x
Norfolk 85 19.41x
Surrey 24 1.73x
Kent 16 1.65x
Devon 12 2.02x
Suffolk 11 3.17x
Yorkshire 11 0.39x
Glamorgan 9 1.81x
Lanarkshire 9 0.98x
Midlothian 8 2.10x
Lancashire 5 0.15x
Lincolnshire 5 1.10x
Berkshire 3 1.40x
Essex 3 0.53x
West Lothian 3 6.99x
Gloucestershire 1 0.18x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Heigham in Norfolk leads with 29 Castons recorded in 1881 and an index of 123.35x.

Place Total Index
Heigham 29 123.35x
Bethnal Green London 13 10.51x
Tottenham 11 24.25x
Beccles 10 179.21x
Old Artillery Ground 10 408.16x
Letheringsett 9 3214.29x
Merthyr Tydfil 9 18.88x
New Monkland 9 33.05x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 8 5.21x
Newington 8 7.60x
Beckenham 7 55.12x
Littleham 7 161.66x
Shoreditch London 7 5.67x
Camberwell 6 3.30x
Horton In Bradford 6 13.61x
Limehouse London 6 19.19x
Norwich St Andrew 6 800.00x
Willesden 6 22.35x
Barton St Peter 5 239.23x
Edmonton 5 21.79x
Islington London 5 1.81x
Poplar London 5 9.30x
Rotherhithe 5 14.21x
Tonbridge 5 14.27x
Withycombe Rawleigh 5 161.81x
Brightside Bierlow 4 7.23x
Great Yarmouth 4 11.03x
Hunstanton 4 270.27x
Cley Next Sea 3 428.57x
Fulham London 3 7.26x
Happisburgh 3 545.45x
Lambeth 3 1.21x
Norwich St Peter 3 104.53x
Ratcliffe London 3 19.07x
Salford 3 3.02x
St George In East London 3 11.20x
Whitburn 3 48.39x
Eltham 2 35.15x
Erpingham 2 571.43x
Forncett St Peter 2 333.33x
Gayton 2 270.27x
Great Oakley 2 222.22x
Hingham 2 131.58x
Holt 2 133.33x
Kensington London 2 1.26x
Norwich St Benedict 2 102.56x
Southwark St George Martyr 2 3.49x
St Luke London 2 4.38x
Walcott 2 1666.67x
Wicklewood 2 281.69x
Barton Bendish 1 232.56x
Berkeley 1 32.15x
Bramley In Bramley 1 9.26x
Chelsea London 1 1.17x
Cheriton 1 25.25x
Colchester St Giles 1 17.99x
Denver 1 121.95x
Diss 1 26.67x
Hammersmith London 1 1.43x
Hethersett 1 90.09x
Hintlesham 1 181.82x
Hockwold Cum Wilton 1 133.33x
Kings Lynn St Margaret 1 7.60x
Liverpool 1 0.49x
Midgham 1 344.83x
Norwich St Saviour 1 64.94x
Royton 1 9.67x
St Andrew Undershaft 1 312.50x
St Martin In Fields 1 5.87x
Stoke Newington London 1 4.51x
Sunninghill 1 33.67x
Swaffham 1 28.09x
Tubney 1 625.00x
Westminster St James 1 3.42x
Willesborough 1 38.31x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Caston surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 14
Sarah 12
Elizabeth 9
Martha 5
Alice 4
Anne 4
Annie 4
Catherine 4
Emma 4
Harriet 4
Ada 3
Ann 3
Eliza 3
Maria 3
Amelia 2
Amy 2
Caroline 2
Clara 2
Clarinda 2
Elizth. 2
Ellen 2
Emily 2
Florence 2
Georgina 2
Laura 2
Louisa 2
Lucy 2
Margt. 2
Rebecca 2
Rosa 2
Sophia 2
Cecilia 1
Edith 1
Elizth.A. 1
Esther 1
Ethel 1
Fanny 1
Florie 1
Frances 1
Francis 1
Hester 1
Jane 1
Jemima 1
Julia 1
Kate 1
Kathleen 1
Katie 1
Lizzie 1
Margret 1
Sophie 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Caston surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 20
George 13
John 11
James 7
Thomas 7
Henry 6
Robert 6
Samuel 6
Edward 5
Alfred 4
Arthur 4
Charles 4
Stephen 3
Benjamin 2
Edmund 2
Frederick 2
Harry 2
Wm. 2
Arche 1
Chas. 1
David 1
Ebenezer 1
Ernest 1
Everitt 1
Herbert 1
Hercules 1
Horace 1
Hugh 1
Isaac 1
Jack 1
Joseph 1
Oneapherus 1
Paul 1
Silas 1
Walter 1

FAQ

Caston surname: questions and answers

How common was the Caston surname in 1881?

In 1881, 300 people were recorded with the Caston surname. That placed it at #9,724 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Caston surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 256 in 2016. That gives Caston a modern rank of #16,534.

What does the Caston surname mean?

An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "enclosure or settlement by a heap of stones."

What does the Caston map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Caston bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.