Find out how popular the last name Bornstein is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Bornstein.

Bornstein, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Bornstein surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bornstein in America

Bornstein is the 11377th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bornstein surname appeared 2,772 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Bornstein.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bornstein to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Bornstein

The surname Bornstein originated in Germany, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 16th century. It is derived from the German words "Born" meaning "well" or "spring," and "Stein" meaning "stone." This suggests that the name may have referred to someone who lived near a well or spring with a stone structure.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bornstein can be found in the town records of Saxony, Germany, from the late 1500s. In these records, a family by the name of Bornstein is mentioned as owning a farm near a village well.

The name Bornstein also appears in various German chronicles and manuscripts from the 17th and 18th centuries. For example, in the annals of the city of Leipzig, a merchant named Hans Bornstein is mentioned as a prominent figure in the local trading community in the early 1700s.

As the surname spread across Europe, variations in spelling emerged, including Bornstien, Bornstyn, and Bornsteine. These variations likely arose due to regional differences in pronunciation and the influence of other languages.

Notable individuals with the surname Bornstein throughout history include:

1. David Bornstein (1799-1879), a Jewish scholar and writer from Galicia, known for his work on Hasidic philosophy.
2. Isidore Bornstein (1885-1976), a Russian-American composer and musician, known for his contributions to Yiddish theater and music.
3. Alfred Bornstein (1885-1945), a German-Jewish businessman and philanthropist who was a victim of the Holocaust.
4. Emma Bornstein (1865-1941), a German-American writer and activist, known for her work in the labor movement and women's suffrage.
5. Walter Bornstein (1888-1971), an Austrian-American engineer and inventor, known for his contributions to the development of television technology.

While the surname Bornstein has its origins in Germany, it has since spread to many parts of the world, including the United States, Israel, and other countries with significant Jewish populations.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bornstein

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Bornstein.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Bornstein was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Bornstein has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Bornstein was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Bornstein, please contact us.

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