CASTILLO
Castillo is a surname of Spanish provenance, rooted in the Iberian linguistic and cultural tradition. The name derives from the Spanish word castillo, denoting a “castle” or “fortress”, and therefore belongs to the class of toponymic surnames that originally identified individuals who resided near or were employed within such structures.
The surname is closely linked to the historic region of Castile (Castilla) in central Spain, a former independent kingdom that later became a principal province of the Spanish state. The appellation appears in a variety of orthographic forms, including Castilla, Castela, Castille, Castiglioni, Castiglione and Castillion. Early etymology connects the name to the pre‑tenth‑century Provençal term castel (a castle) and the adjective vieil (old), reflecting the antiquity of the fortifications that characterised the landscape from Roman through Visigothic, Frankish and Moorish periods.
In the Spanish-speaking world the surname is frequent and has traditionally been associated with families of noble or aristocratic standing. The heraldic achievement linked to the name displays a blue field bearing a silver castle upon a green mount, a visual reference to the literal meaning of the name.
Documentary evidence of the surname’s diffusion to the Americas begins in the early eighteenth century. Notable records include Penaflor Castillo, baptised at San Bernardino, Xochimilco, Mexico, on 8 March 1708; Arrieta Castilla, married on 22 December 1706 at the same location; and Josef Castillo, who wed Maria Sinoba Bojorquez at Santa Barbara, California, on 30 November 1805. Later entries, such as the marriage of Joe Matusa Castila at Pomonala, Los Angeles, on 19 October 1933, illustrate the continued presence of the name in the New World.
The earliest extant spelling of the family name in the colonial archives is that of Antonia Castillo, recorded on 12 July 1678 in Asunción, Federal District, Mexico, during the reign of King Charles XI of Spain, Emperor of Mexico (1665–1700). This early documentation underscores the long‑standing and widespread use of the surname across both Europe and the Americas.
Typical given names associated with the Castillo surname
Male
- Alexander
- Carlos
- Cesar
- David
- John
- Jorge
- Jose
- Karl
- Omar
- Oscar
- Pablo
- Rafael
- Sam
Female
- Ana
- Angela
- Anna
- Cristina
- Erlinda
- Indira
- Maria
- Marta
- Nathalie
- Rosa
- Veronica
- Yolanda
Similar and related surnames
- Castello
- Castell
- Castelloe
- Casillo
- Castelli
- Castill
- Castilla
- Castall
- Casteel
- Castel
- Castela
- Castelao
- Castele
- Castella
- Castellon
- Castellow
- Castelo
- Castiel
- Castiello
- Castile
- Castilho
- Castillano
- Castille
- Castillejo
- Castillion
- Castillon
- Castilo
- Castle
- Castlelow
- Castlo
- Castlow
- Castolo
- Castrillo
- Castrillon
- Casttle
- Causdale
- Causdell
- Costal
- Costale
- Costall
- Costallo
- Costalo
- Costel
- Costell
- Costella
- Costelle
- Costelli
- Costello
- Costelloe
- Costelo
- Costeloe
- Costill
- Costilla
- Costillo
- Costilloe
- Costilo
- Costiloe
- Costilow
- Costle
- Costlo
- Costloe
- Costole
- Costoll
- Costollo
- Costolo
- Costoloe
- Coustol
- Custle
- Gaisdale
- Gastall
- Gastell
- Gazdula
- Gosdale
- Gosdall
- Gostolo
- Gosztyla
- Guastella
- Gusdal
- Gustilo
- Kastel
- Kastell
- Kastl
- Kastle
- Kestall
- Kestel
- Kestell
- Kestila
- Kestill
- Kestle
- Kistell
- Kistle
- Kostal
- Kostyla
- Kusdil
- Kusztal
- Quastel
- Questel
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Castillo in...
Braille
⠉⠁⠎⠞⠊⠇⠇⠕
Morse
-.-..-...-...-...-..---
Semaphore
There are approximately 767 people named Castillo in the UK. That makes it roughly the 9,064th most common surname in Britain. Around 12 in a million people in Britain are named Castillo.
Origin: Iberian
Region of origin: Europe
Country of origin: Spain
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: Spanish
