Is Casto an Italian name?

[Squigy]

I've been researching my (non-Italian) dad's line. His father has Southern roots, and I found a WV relative with the surname "Casto". This sounds to me like it could be Italian, doesn't it?

It doesn't sound at all Northern European to me, is this name common in Italy?

My dad is a bit of an Italophile, so it would be kind of cool to find ONE Italian ancestor, even though it would probably be like 10+ generations ago.

[liviomoreno]

Casto is an Italian surname and is spread all over Italy. See http://www.gens.labo.net/it/cognomi/gen ... &t=cognomi

[Squigy]

That's right, I completely forgot about that website!

So it is possible there is an Italian ancestor somewhere along the line? That name doesn't sound Northern European to me, at all.

[donnawright]

Where in WV? Maybe I can provide another Casto family, but in the Steubenville OH. Steubenville is in close proximity to PA, WV, and OH in a sort of triangle. I worked with two sisters with the Casto name. I am not in touch with them personally right now, but I can make the connection for you.

[Squigy]

Where in WV? Maybe I can provide another Casto family, but in the Steubenville OH. Steubenville is in close proximity to PA, WV, and OH in a sort of triangle. I worked with two sisters with the Casto name. I am not in touch with them personally right now, but I can make the connection for you.

Hi, Donna.

According to my records, my Casto ancestor's daughter was born in Jackson County WV. That isn't that far from Steubenville (just a few hours). Do you think there may be a connection? Has your friend found any Italian ancestry?

P.S.

My Casto ancestor's name is Lucretia Casto, wife of Elijah Rollins. If that is of any help in making a connection..

[johnnyonthespot]

Casto appears to be a common surname in West Virginia:

http://www.whitepages.com/dir/wv/casto

The name appears more than 1,000 times each in Florida, Ohio, and West Virginia:

http://www.gens-us.net/map/genera.html?cognome=CASTO

[johnnyonthespot]

On this page ( http://www.wvculture.org/history/surname1.html#c ), you can find the index numbers (0164; 0377; 0759; 1322; 1707; 1934; 2579) of several researchers working on the Casto surname in West Virginia.

The names and addresses of the researchers can be found by looking up the index numbers here: http://www.wvculture.org/history/surname2.html

[Squigy]

Thanks for the links, Carmine!! I'll try contacting some of the ones with emails, right away.

I found a site that appears to be made by a member of the same Casto family. It's pretty interesting. It said a family legend in many branches of the Casto's, is that the there were two Casto brothers, and after their town was raided, they stowed away on a pirate's ship, and worked on it for several years, after which the captain gave them some money to get started in America. It also said the brothers were of English, Welsh, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese descent.

Obviously, there is probably very little (if any) truth to this story. But it's still an interesting family legend!!

[johnnyonthespot]

Who would have guessed? There is a small comune (population about 1900) in Lombardia named Casto:

http://www.comune.casto.bs.it/ (may be slow to load)

[Squigy]

Who would have guessed? There is a small comune (population about 1900) in Lombardia named Casto:

http://www.comune.casto.bs.it/ (may be slow to load)

That's interesting because I figured if it was Italian, it would be Northern Italian (since before the late 1800's-1900's, most immigrants from the Italian peninsula were from the North).

I also read, that Casto literally means "chaste" or "pure" in Italian.

So it DOES appear to be Italian in origin?

[jdelauche]

I came across this thread while looking for other information.

The surname Casto, in your family line, may not be of Italian origin.

From one of those web sites which sells "coat of arms" products (meaning: if you or a particular ancestor was not officially granted a coat of arms by a particular reigning monarch, then you/your ancestor do not have the right to any coat of arms/crest) I found the following:

[Quote]
The Anglo-Saxon name Casto comes from when the family resided near a notable chestnut tree. The surname is derived from Anglo-French casteyn, which means chestnut. As such, Casto is a member of the topographic class of surnames, which were given to people who resided near noticeable physical features such as hills, streams, churches, or types of tree. However, Casto may also belong to the category of habitation surnames which were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. In this case, the surname Casto is derived from the parish of Caston which lies near Watton in the county of Norfolk [England.]
[End quote]
From: http://www.houseofnames.com/casto-family-crest

If your Casto family line lived in Virginia, before West Virginia broke away and became a Union state during The War Between the States (US Civil War), and if they lived in the British colony of Virginia prior to the US Revolutionary War, then they were probably of British Isles/England origin.

Note: Just because a surname ends in "o" does not mean it is of Italian or Spanish origin. Examples: The surname Costello/Castello is of Irish origin; The surname Lingo is Scottish in origin. Also, the spelling of a surname can be changed over time. An example: An "o" at the end of a surname or within a surname could have been the French "eau" or "au" which sounds like "oh" and changed during a particular generation because the people with the surname got tired of others misspelling or mispronouncing the name.

Best wishes with your genealogy research.

[PeterTimber]

Casto is a surname in 139 cities, towns and villages in Italy. The surname is not listed in the Italian surname dictionary signifying it is either local in origin or imported and Italianized. What are your research objectives and have they all been met? Peter

[erudita74]

Peter
Do do you see the surname "Lo Casto" in your book? It appears in the book Our Italian Surnames by Prof Joseph G Fucilla. He just states that it is an Italian surname which derives from a desirable quality and means chaste. He doesn't give any regional info about it through.
Erudita

[PeterTimber]

Its listed as a name variation of CASTRO (Lo Castro and Lo Casto among others). . Casto is a direct translation of CHASTE. It has a latin source meaning Castle or fortification.

[erudita74]

Its listed as a name variation of CASTRO (Lo Castro and Lo Casto among others). . Casto is a direct translation of CHASTE. It has a latin source meaning Castle or fortification.

Thanks, Peter.
Erudita