De Castro family

For other uses of "Castro", see Castro (disambiguation).

Castro
Place of origin	Portugal, Spain
Distinctions	"de Castro"

Castro family coat of arms (Portugal).

The surname Castro is used by a Sephardic Jewish family of Portuguese, Spanish and Italian origin. Soon after the establishment of the Portuguese Inquisition, members of the family emigrated to Bordeaux, Bayonne, Hamburg, and various cities in the Netherlands. Their descendants were later found scattered throughout Turkey, Egypt, Holland, Germany, England, Italy, United States and Madras. ^{[1] [2] [3] [4]}

Some branches of the family have continued to bear the simple name of de Castro whereas others are known by de Castro-Osório, de Castro Sarmento, de Castro-Castello-Osório, Pereira de Castro, de Castro Vieira de Pinto, Rodrigues de Castro, Orobio de Castro, de Castro de Paz, Henriques de Castro, etc. The name often appears as "de Crasto". The name Castro is not in origin Jewish but an Iberian Christian name, adopted by some Portuguese and Spanish Jews after the forced conversions of the late 15th and early 16th centuries. Also^{[ clarification needed ]} in Barranquilla, Santa Marta, Tuluá Valle del Cauca in Colombia and Coro in Venezuela.

Notable members

• Abraham de Castro
• Adolphe Danziger De Castro
• Isaac Orobio de Castro
• Kat de Castro, Filipino journalist and former television personality,
• Noli de Castro
• Glaiza de Castro, Filipino actress and singer
• Samuel de Castro was Founder of de Castro Trading house in Madras. ^{[5] [6]}

See also

• Inquisition
• Marranos
• Crypto-Jews
• Spanish and Portuguese Jews
• Sephardim
• Paradesi Jews

References

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain :  Singer, Isidore; et al., eds. (1901–1906). "Castro, de, family". The Jewish Encyclopedia . New York: Funk & Wagnalls.

References

1. "Castro, De, Family". Jewish Encyclopedia. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
2. Sundaram, Krithika (31 October 2012). "18th century Jewish cemetery lies in shambles, craves for attention". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 2024-06-13. Retrieved 30 December 2025.
3. Gill, Liz (September 1, 2011). "Chennai: Where life is enshrined". The Jewish Chronicle. Archived from the original on 2025-09-09. Retrieved 30 December 2025.
4. "Chennai | India". International Jewish Cemetery Project. Archived from the original on 2025-12-30.
5. Muthiah, S. (3 September 2007). "The Portuguese Jews of Madras". The Hindu. Retrieved 2016-05-24.
6. "Chennai - India". International Jewish Cemetery Project. Archived from the original on 2016-07-01. Retrieved 2016-07-12.