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

Edelstein, 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 Edelstein surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Edelstein in America

Edelstein is the 10912th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Edelstein surname appeared 2,917 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 Edelstein.

We can also compare 2010 data for Edelstein 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 Edelstein

The surname Edelstein is of German origin, derived from the words "Edel" meaning "noble" and "Stein" meaning "stone". It is thought to have originated in the 13th century as a descriptive name for someone who worked with precious stones or lived near a notable stone structure.

Early records of the Edelstein surname can be found in various German regions, including Bavaria, Saxony, and the Rhineland. One of the earliest documented instances is in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, where a merchant named Hans Edelstein is mentioned in a 1412 municipal record.

In the 15th century, the surname appears in several manuscripts and chronicles, such as the Nuremberg Chronicles, which mentions a family of goldsmiths and jewelers called the Edelsteins. This suggests that the name may have been associated with the trade of working with precious stones and metals.

The Edelstein name can also be traced back to certain place names, such as the village of Edelsteinau in Hesse, which may have been the origin point for some branches of the family. Variations in spelling include Edelstain, Edlestain, and Edelstyn.

Notable historical figures with the Edelstein surname include:

1. Abraham Edelstein (1737-1823), a German-Jewish merchant and community leader in Berlin.
2. Johanna Edelstein (1804-1888), a German-Jewish philanthropist and social reformer.
3. Max Edelstein (1858-1927), a German-American architect and designer.
4. Ludwig Edelstein (1902-1965), a German-American classical scholar and philosopher.
5. Benjamin Edelstein (1928-2021), an American businessman and real estate developer.

Throughout its history, the Edelstein surname has been associated with various professions, from merchants and artisans to scholars and professionals, reflecting the diverse paths taken by those who bore this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Edelstein

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

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

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

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