2000
#124,872
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Berenstein
A surname of German origin, potentially meaning "bear-stone" or referring to someone who lived near bear rocks.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 164 Americans carry the last name Berenstein. That puts it at #125,732 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,089,965 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Berenstein surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
164
1 in 2,089,965
Census rank
#125,732
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
143
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 143 bearers of the surname Berenstein in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 125732nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Berenstein, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.2%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Berenstein
The surname Berenstein is of Ashkenazi Jewish origin, tracing its roots back to the German-speaking regions of Central and Eastern Europe in the late Middle Ages. The name is believed to have originated from the German word "Bernstein," meaning amber, a fossilized tree resin prized for its golden color and use in jewelry.
In the 14th century, records show the presence of the Berenstein family in the city of Frankfurt am Main, where they were among the earliest Jewish settlers. The family's name likely derived from an association with the amber trade or the location where they resided, perhaps near an amber workshop or market.
One of the earliest known references to the Berenstein name can be found in the Memorbuch (memorial book) of the Frankfurt Jewish community, dated 1349. This document recorded the names of those who perished during the Black Death pogrom, including several members of the Berenstein family.
By the 16th century, the Berenstein family had spread across various German principalities and neighboring regions, adapting their name to local linguistic variations. In some areas, the name was spelled as Bernstein, Bernstain, or Berenshtein, reflecting the influence of regional dialects and languages.
One notable figure bearing the Berenstein surname was Rabbi Shlomo Berenstein (1598-1665), a renowned Talmudic scholar and author from Krakow, Poland. His works, including the Shvili David commentary on the Talmud, were highly influential in Jewish intellectual circles of the time.
Another prominent Berenstein was Issachar Berenstein (1836-1913), a Ukrainian-born Hebrew writer and educator who played a significant role in the Haskalah (Jewish Enlightenment) movement. His literary works, including novels and short stories, aimed to promote secular education and integration into modern European society.
In the 19th century, the Berenstein family gained prominence in the field of medicine. Dr. Moritz Berenstein (1828-1892) was a pioneering German physician who made significant contributions to the understanding and treatment of respiratory diseases, publishing several influential works on the subject.
The name Berenstein also had its place in the arts, with Samuel Berenstein (1867-1925), a Polish-born painter and illustrator whose works captured the vibrant culture and traditions of Jewish communities in Eastern Europe.
As the Berenstein family migrated across Europe and later to other parts of the world, the name underwent further variations in spelling and pronunciation, reflecting the diverse linguistic and cultural influences they encountered.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Berenstein
Among Census respondents with the surname Berenstein, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.2%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Berenstein bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Berenstein surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.7% · 124
- Hispanic or Latino11.2% · 16
- Two or more races2.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Berenstein
Berenstein appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#132,206
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
+1 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,334 places
2020
#125,732
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 143
+15 bearers (+11.7%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 6,474 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,872 | 127 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #132,206 | 128 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 7,334 places |
| 2020 | #125,732 | 143 | 0.05 | +15 bearers (+11.7%) | Up 6,474 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Berenstein surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #132,206 | #125,732 | 4.9% |
| Count | 128 | 143 | 11.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.05 | 19.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Berenstein bearers went from 128 to 143 (+11.7% change). The surname moved up 6,474 positions in the national ranking, going from #132,206 to #125,732.
FAQ
Berenstein surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Berenstein?
Name Census estimates that about 164 living Americans carry the surname Berenstein. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,089,965 residents.
How common is Berenstein?
Berenstein ranks #125,732 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 143 people with the surname Berenstein. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (164), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Berenstein.
Has Berenstein become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Berenstein went from 128 recorded bearers to 143. That is an increase of 15 (+11.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #132,206 to #125,732.
What does the Census say about the background of Berenstein?
Among Census respondents with the surname Berenstein, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.2%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Berenstein in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.7% (124 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Berenstein appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.7%), Hispanic (11.2%), Two or More Races (2.1%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Berenstein (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Berenstein mean?
A surname of German origin, potentially meaning "bear-stone" or referring to someone who lived near bear rocks. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Berenstein (0.05 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Berenstein?
Find out how many people are called Berenstein on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.