2000
#9,987
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,980
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.10
Rare Last name
Edelstein
A German and Jewish surname referring to a precious stone, often a ruby or other gem.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,116 Americans carry the last name Edelstein. That puts it at #11,147 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.91 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 109,998 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Edelstein 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
3.1K
1 in 109,998
Census rank
#11,147
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,717 bearers of the surname Edelstein in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.91 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11147th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Edelstein, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Edelstein
Among Census respondents with the surname Edelstein, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Edelstein 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 Edelstein surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 2,534
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 83
- Two or more races2.2% · 59
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 23
- Black or African American0.6% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Edelstein
Edelstein 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
#10,912
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,917
-63 bearers (-2.1%)
Per 100,000 0.99
Rank movement Down 925 places
2020
#11,147
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,717
-200 bearers (-6.9%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Down 235 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,987 | 2,980 | 1.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,912 | 2,917 | 0.99 | -63 bearers (-2.1%) | Down 925 places |
| 2020 | #11,147 | 2,717 | 0.91 | -200 bearers (-6.9%) | Down 235 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 Edelstein 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 | #10,912 | #11,147 | -2.2% |
| Count | 2,917 | 2,717 | -6.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.99 | 0.91 | -8.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Edelstein bearers went from 2,917 to 2,717 (-6.9% change). The surname moved down 235 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,912 to #11,147.
FAQ
Edelstein surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Edelstein?
Name Census estimates that about 3,116 living Americans carry the surname Edelstein. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 109,998 residents.
How common is Edelstein?
Edelstein ranks #11,147 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.91 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,717 people with the surname Edelstein. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,116), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.91 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.91 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Edelstein.
Has Edelstein become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Edelstein went from 2,917 recorded bearers to 2,717. That is a decrease of 200 (-6.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,912 to #11,147.
What does the Census say about the background of Edelstein?
Among Census respondents with the surname Edelstein, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Edelstein in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (2,534 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Edelstein appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Hispanic (3.1%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Edelstein (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 Edelstein mean?
A German and Jewish surname referring to a precious stone, often a ruby or other gem. 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 Edelstein (0.91 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 last name Edelstein?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Edelstein, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.