2000
#144,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bonstein
A German surname derived from "Bohnenstein," meaning someone from the town of Bohnenstein.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Bonstein. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bonstein 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Bonstein in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bonstein, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.3%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bonstein
The surname Bonstein is believed to have originated in Germany during the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old German words "bon" (bean) and "stein" (stone), possibly referring to someone who lived near a rocky area where beans were grown or traded.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bonstein can be found in the Annals of Würzburg, a medieval chronicle written in the late 15th century. The entry mentions a Johannes Bonstein, a merchant from the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, who was involved in a legal dispute over the ownership of a vineyard in the year 1472.
In the 16th century, the name Bonstein appears in various records from the region of Franconia in present-day Bavaria. One notable example is Matthias Bonstein, a Lutheran pastor who lived from 1520 to 1589 and served in the town of Ansbach. He was known for his sermons and writings promoting the Protestant Reformation.
During the 17th century, the Bonstein family seemed to have spread to other parts of Germany. In 1632, a soldier named Hans Bonstein is mentioned in the records of the Thirty Years' War, having fought for the Imperial army in the Battle of Lützen.
In the 18th century, the name Bonstein was associated with several scholars and academics. One of them was Johann Friedrich Bonstein (1735-1805), a professor of philosophy at the University of Jena, who wrote extensively on topics such as logic and metaphysics.
Another notable figure was Georg Heinrich Bonstein (1762-1843), a historian and archivist from the city of Dresden. He is known for his work in preserving and cataloging historical documents from the Saxon region.
As the centuries passed, the Bonstein name continued to appear in various parts of Germany, though it remained relatively uncommon. Some other individuals who bore this surname include the 19th-century painter Wilhelm Bonstein (1810-1876) and the 20th-century chemist Karl Bonstein (1898-1967), who made contributions to the field of organic synthesis.
While the Bonstein surname may not be as widespread as some others, its long history and diverse bearers across different professions and regions of Germany attest to its enduring legacy and the rich tapestry of stories woven into its origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bonstein
Among Census respondents with the surname Bonstein, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.3%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Bonstein 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 Bonstein surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.5% · 93
- Hispanic or Latino7.3% · 8
- Two or more races5.5% · 6
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bonstein
Bonstein 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+8 bearers (+7.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,293 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-3 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,245 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #144,908 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.6%) | Down 1,293 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.7%) | Down 3,245 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 Bonstein 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 | #146,201 | #149,446 | -2.2% |
| Count | 113 | 110 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bonstein bearers went from 113 to 110 (-2.7% change). The surname moved down 3,245 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #149,446.
FAQ
Bonstein surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bonstein?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Bonstein. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Bonstein?
Bonstein ranks #149,446 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 110 people with the surname Bonstein. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Bonstein.
Has Bonstein become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bonstein went from 113 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Bonstein?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bonstein, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.3%) and Two or More Races (5.5%). 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 Bonstein in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.5% (93 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bonstein appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.5%), Hispanic (7.3%), Two or More Races (5.5%). 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 Bonstein (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 Bonstein mean?
A German surname derived from "Bohnenstein," meaning someone from the town of Bohnenstein. 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 Bonstein (0.04 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 many Americans have the surname Bonstein?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.