Caston
A mainly English surname most often tied to the parish of Caston in Norfolk, with some early confusion with castle-related names.
The #9,165 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 86,702 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The strongest evidence points to a locational surname, meaning someone who came from Caston in Norfolk. Medieval records show forms like de Caston, which is the usual pattern for names built from a birthplace. Some older writers also connected it with castle-related surnames such as Castellan or Castleman, but that looks more uncertain and may reflect spelling confusion rather than the main origin.
History
The name is recorded in medieval Norfolk, and later examples spread into neighboring counties and London. Bardsley notes that families from Caston became established enough to branch out widely. The surname is still relatively uncommon, and many modern bearers likely descend from English lines rather than from any one single family cluster.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Caston is still the name of a village in Norfolk, about three miles from Watton, which helped preserve the surname's place-based identity.
From the historical record
“CASTON Offic; V. Castellan, of which Castleman is probably a corrupted form. Ralph Castelman, co. Soms^ i Edw. Ill : Kirby*s Quest, p. 126. Richard Castelman, C. R., 25 Hen. VI. Thomas Castylman, C. R., i-a Philip”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (alternate scan)