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

Burnstein, 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 Burnstein surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Burnstein in America

Burnstein is the 50960th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Burnstein surname appeared 409 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Burnstein.

We can also compare 2010 data for Burnstein 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 Burnstein

The surname BURNSTEIN is of Ashkenazi Jewish origin, deriving from the German and Yiddish words "Burn" meaning "well" or "spring", and "Stein" meaning "stone". It likely originated in the Rhine region of Germany, where many Ashkenazi Jews settled during the Middle Ages.

One of the earliest recorded references to the name is found in a document from the 16th century, where a Moses Burnstein is mentioned as a resident of the city of Frankfurt. In the 17th century, the name appears in records from the town of Worms, with a Leah Burnstein listed as a widow in 1642.

The name BURNSTEIN may also be related to the place name "Burnstein", a small village in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. This could suggest that the surname originated as a toponymic name, indicating the place of origin or residence of the family.

Notable individuals with the surname BURNSTEIN include:

1. Isaac Burnstein (1846-1914), a Polish-born rabbi and scholar who served as the chief rabbi of Vilnius in the late 19th century.

2. Sarah Burnstein (1876-1962), a Russian-born American labor activist and organizer, known for her work in the garment industry unions in New York City.

3. Max Burnstein (1901-1988), a German-born American artist and painter, best known for his expressionist and abstract works.

4. Lev Burnstein (1924-2010), a Soviet-born Russian physicist and academic, recognized for his contributions to the field of semiconductor physics.

5. Rachel Burnstein (1935-2020), an American author and playwright, whose works often explored themes of Jewish identity and the immigrant experience.

While the surname BURNSTEIN is not as common as some other Ashkenazi Jewish names, it has a rich history dating back several centuries, with bearers scattered across various regions of Europe and later, North America.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Burnstein

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

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 Burnstein 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 Burnstein 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 Burnstein was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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