Castor

The first name Castor has its origin in Greek and is derived from the name Kastor (Καστωρ). Translated, it means 'the Shining' or 'the Bright'.

What does the name Castor mean?

Castor is a boy's name of Greek origin, derived from Kastor (Καστωρ). The translation is 'the Shining' or 'the Bright'. The name can be traced back to the Ancient Greek word kekasmai (κέκασμαι), which means 'to surpass', 'to shine', 'to glow', 'to radiate', and 'to stand out'. An additional connection may exist to the Ancient Greek kástōr (κάστωρ), which means 'beaver'. In Greek mythology, Castor is regarded as the son of Zeus and the twin brother of Pollux. The constellation Gemini, named after these two brothers, contains a star that bears his name.

Where does the name Castor come from?

Castor is a masculine first name that has its roots in Ancient Greek and means 'the Shining'. The etymology can be traced back to the Ancient Greek kekasmai (κέκασμαι), which means to surpass, shine, glow, radiate, or stand out, or to kástōr (κάστωρ), which means 'beaver' in Ancient Greek. The name is Greek and has been Latinized.

How do you pronounce Castor?

The pronunciation of Castor is two syllables and is rendered as 'Kas-tor' [ˈkas.toːɐ̯]. The short 'a' at the beginning sounds direct, while the long 'o' in the second syllable opens the sound. The final 'r' gently rounds off the name. Castor has a distinctive, mythologically influenced sound - powerful at the beginning and harmonious at the end.

When is the name day of Castor?

The name day for Castor is celebrated on February 13.

Popularity

In Germany, Castor is a rather rare first name. In 2018, it ranked 3,918th on the list of the most common male first names. Its highest ranking was in 2014 at 2,076th. Over the last ten years, Castor has been given as a first name fewer than 10 times, placing it at 8,008th in the ten-year statistics. From 2010 to 2024, it ranks 6,182nd.

Similar first names

Famous people

• Castor (Astronomy) (One of the 'Twin Stars')
• Castor (Wagon) (Wagon carrying nuclear waste)
• Castor Cantero (Football player)
• Castor McCord (Jazz musician)
• Castor Paul Msemwa (Bishop of Tunduru-Masasi)
• Castor and Pollux (Twins from Greek mythology)
• Castor Virgil Hetfield (Son of James Hetfield)
• Castor of Apt (Saint and Bishop from France)
• Castor of Karden (Saint)