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Castro History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Castro History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Italy
Spain

The Castro family can trace its noble origins to the Italian region of Piedmont. Although people were originally known only by a single name, it became necessary for people to adapt a second name to identify themselves as populations grew and travel became more frequent. The process of adopting fixed hereditary surnames was not complete until the modern era, but the use of hereditary family names in Italy began in the 10th and 11th centuries. Italian hereditary surnames were developed according to fairly general principles and they are characterized by a profusion of derivatives coined from given names. Although the most traditional type of family name found in the region of Piedmont is the patronymic surname, which is derived from the father's given name, local surnames are also found. Local names, which are the least frequent of the major types of surnames found in Italy, are derived from a place-name where the original bearer once resided or held land. Often Italian local surnames bore the prefix "di," which signifies emigration from one place to another, but does not necessarily denote nobility. The Castro family lived in Genoa, a prosperous city in Piedmont which at one time was a rival with Venice in terms of commerce and trade.

Early Origins of the Castro family

The surname Castro was first found in Genoa (Italian: Genova), a prosperous city in Piedmont which at one time was a rival with Venice in terms of commerce and trade.

Early History of the Castro family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Castro research. Another 43 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1360, 1550, 1597 and 1687 are included under the topic Early Castro History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Castro Spelling Variations

Italian surnames come in far more variations than the names of most other nationalities. Regional traditions and dialects are a decisive factor in this characteristic. For example, northern names tend to end in "o", while southern in "i". Also important, but not unique to Italy, was the fact that before dictionaries and the printing press most scribes simply spelled words according to their sounds. The predictable result was an enormous number of spelling variations. The recorded spellings of Castro include Castro, Castri, De Castri, De Castris, Lo Castro, Lo Casto, Li Castri, Licastri, Li Castro, Licastro, Castrogiovanni, Castronovo, Castronuovo and many more.

Early Notables of the Castro family

Prominent among members of the family was

Giovanni Castroceli who was made Cardinal in Aquila by Pope Celestino
Nicola Castroceli was made Bishop of Aquila by this pope in 1296
Paolo di Castro, born in the town of Castro in 1360, was a soldier in the Papal army
Angelo da Castro was a teacher in Padua during the 15th century
Giovanni di Castro, also of Padua, was a prominent philosopher at this time
Sicipio di Castro was a well known author in Salerno in 1550
Giacomo di Castro (c. 1597-1687) was an Italian painter

Castro World Ranking

In the United States, the name Castro is the 282^nd most popular surname with an estimated 96,993 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Castro is ranked the 1,771^st most popular surname with an estimated 3,451 people with that name. 2 And in South America, the name Castro is the 13^rd popular surname with an estimated 173 people with that name. 3

Castro migration to the United States +

Some of the first North American settlers with Castro name or one of its variants:

Castro Settlers in United States in the 16th Century

Martín de Castro to America in 1513
Pero Castro to America in 1513
Sebastiano de Castro to Peru in 1535
Juan Castro, who sailed to Guatemala in 1536
Vaca de Castro, a judge, was sent from Spain to Peru in 1541 by Charles V to advise Pizarro concerning the government of his province
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Castro Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

William Castro, who arrived in Virginia in 1666 4

Castro Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Baltasar De Castro, who arrived in America in 1811 4
Alvaro De Castro, who landed in America in 1812 4
Martin De Castro, who landed in America in 1813 4
Pero Castro, who arrived in America in 1813 4
Antonio De Castro, who arrived in America in 1815 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Castro Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Ambrosio Castro, who arrived in Texas in 1909 4
Angel Castro, who landed in Texas in 1909 4
Benign Castro, who landed in Alabama in 1925 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Castro (post 1700) +

Juana de la Caridad "Juanita" Castro Ruz (1933-2023), Cuban-American activist and writer as well as the sister of Fidel and Raúl, both former presidents of Cuba, and Ramón, a key figure of the Cuban Revolution
Morris Fidanque de Castro (1902-1966), American politician, Secretary of the U.S. Virgin Islands, 1945-50; Governor of U.S. Virgin Islands, 1949-54 5
Juan José Castro (1895-1968), Argentine composer and conductor
Jason Castro (b. 1987), American acoustic/folk-pop singer-songwriter 6
Bernadette Castro (b. 1944), New York politician and businesswoman
Raúl Castro (b. 1931), President of the Cuban Council of State
Ida L. Castro, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New Jersey, 1980, 2004 7
George Castro, American politician, Candidate for Mayor of Hialeah, Florida, 2011 7
Estevan Castro, American politician, Member of California State Assembly, 1857-58, 1863-65 (3rd District 1857-58, 6th District 1863-65) 7
Charles Castro, American politician, Candidate for New York State Senate 13th District, 2002 7
... (Another 32 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Castro family +

Flight 191

Ms G Di Castro (d. 1979), American passenger from Matteson, Illinois, USA, who flew aboard American Airlines Flight 191 and died in the crash 8

USS Arizona

Mr. Vicente De Castro, American Officer's Steward Third Class working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 9

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
"List of most common surnames in South America." Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most_common_surnames_in_South_America
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 2) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Jason Castro. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) Jason Castro. Retrieved from http://www.JasonCastroMusic.com
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 20) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Flight 191's Victims - latimes. (Retrieved 2014, April 16) . Retrieved from http://articles.latimes.com/1985-08-04/news/mn-4349_1_fort-lauderdale-area
Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html