2000
#6,863
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,517
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.67
Rare Last name
Eckstein
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) surname referring to someone who lived near the corner of a stone building.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,168 Americans carry the last name Eckstein. That puts it at #7,141 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.51 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 66,322 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Eckstein 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Eckstein with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.2K
1 in 66,322
Census rank
#7,141
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,507 bearers of the surname Eckstein in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.51 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7141st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Eckstein, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Eckstein
The surname Eckstein has its origins in Germany, where it first appeared as early as the 12th century. It is derived from the German words "Ecke" meaning "corner" and "Stein" meaning "stone," suggesting that the name may have been given to someone who lived near a prominent rocky outcrop or corner.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Henricus Eckstein, mentioned in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical records from the region of Brandenburg, in 1195. The name was also found in the Liber Censuum, a medieval tax record from the city of Cologne, in the 13th century.
In the 14th century, the Eckstein name appeared in various legal documents and land records across German-speaking regions. Johann Eckstein, a merchant from Nuremberg, was recorded in the city's trade records in 1372. Another notable bearer was Heinrich Eckstein, a scholar and theologian from Konstanz, who lived from 1430 to 1508.
The name spread to other parts of Europe as well. In the 16th century, a family by the name of Eckstein settled in the Netherlands, where they were involved in textile trade. One of their descendants, Pieter Eckstein (1592-1657), was a prominent merchant and member of the Dutch East India Company.
In the 18th century, the Eckstein name gained recognition in the field of science and academia. Johann Gottfried Eckstein (1735-1809) was a German botanist and naturalist who made significant contributions to the study of plant taxonomy. Another notable figure was Christian Eckstein (1758-1837), a German jurist and professor of law at the University of Jena.
As the 19th century dawned, the Eckstein name continued to be associated with achievements in various fields. Eduard Eckstein (1810-1865) was a German chess master and writer, known for his contributions to the theory of the game. In the field of literature, Ernst Eckstein (1845-1900) was a German poet and playwright who authored several works of poetry and drama.
While this report focuses on the surname Eckstein, it is worth noting that the name has also been used as a given name or middle name in some instances, though the details of its usage as a first name are beyond the scope of this history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Eckstein
Among Census respondents with the surname Eckstein, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Eckstein 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 Eckstein surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 4,091
- Two or more races3.4% · 153
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 152
- Black or African American1.3% · 59
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 38
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Eckstein
Eckstein 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
#7,211
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,628
+111 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 1.57
Rank movement Down 348 places
2020
#7,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,507
-121 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 1.51
Rank movement Up 70 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,863 | 4,517 | 1.67 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,211 | 4,628 | 1.57 | +111 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 348 places |
| 2020 | #7,141 | 4,507 | 1.51 | -121 bearers (-2.6%) | Up 70 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 Eckstein 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 | #7,211 | #7,141 | 1.0% |
| Count | 4,628 | 4,507 | -2.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.57 | 1.51 | -4.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Eckstein bearers went from 4,628 to 4,507 (-2.6% change). The surname moved up 70 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,211 to #7,141.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Eckstein
FAQ
Eckstein surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Eckstein?
Name Census estimates that about 5,168 living Americans carry the surname Eckstein. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 66,322 residents.
How common is Eckstein?
Eckstein ranks #7,141 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.51 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,507 people with the surname Eckstein. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,168), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.51 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.51 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Eckstein.
Has Eckstein become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Eckstein went from 4,628 recorded bearers to 4,507. That is a decrease of 121 (-2.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,211 to #7,141.
What does the Census say about the background of Eckstein?
Among Census respondents with the surname Eckstein, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Eckstein in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (4,091 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Eckstein appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Two or More Races (3.4%), Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Eckstein (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 Eckstein mean?
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) surname referring to someone who lived near the corner of a stone building. 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 Eckstein (1.51 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 people have the surname Eckstein?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.