Einstein last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Einstein

A German surname derived from a word meaning "one stone" or "boulder".

Einstein, 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 Einstein surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Einstein in America

Einstein is the 34390th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Einstein surname appeared 659 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 Einstein.

We can also compare 2010 data for Einstein 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 34390 32900 4.43%
Count 659 657 0.30%
Proportion per 100k 0.22 0.24 -8.70%

The history of the last name Einstein

The surname Einstein is of German origin, derived from the German word "Einsteiner," which means "a person from Einstein." Einstein is a place name that can be traced back to the Middle Ages, specifically to the region of Bavaria in southern Germany.

The earliest known record of the surname Einstein dates back to the 13th century, when it appeared in a document from the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, located in the present-day state of Bavaria. This document mentioned a certain "Conradus Einsteiner," who was likely a resident of the village of Einstein at that time.

In the 14th century, the surname Einstein was also found in records from the city of Nuremberg, another important center in medieval Bavaria. These records include references to individuals such as "Heinricus Einsteiner" and "Bartholomeus Einsteiner," who were likely merchants or craftsmen living in the city.

Over the centuries, the spelling of the surname evolved slightly, with variations such as "Einstain," "Einstainer," and "Einsteyner" appearing in different documents and records. However, the core meaning and origin of the name remained the same, indicating a connection to the village of Einstein.

One notable individual with the surname Einstein was Hans Einstein, a renowned German jurist and legal scholar who lived from 1598 to 1663. He served as a professor of law at the University of Ingolstadt and was widely respected for his expertise in civil and canon law.

Another prominent figure bearing the Einstein surname was Johann Michael Einstein, a German philosopher and theologian who lived from 1679 to 1740. He was a prolific writer and published numerous works on topics such as metaphysics, ethics, and natural theology.

Of course, the most famous person with the surname Einstein is undoubtedly Albert Einstein, the renowned theoretical physicist who lived from 1879 to 1955. His groundbreaking theories, including the theory of relativity, revolutionized our understanding of space, time, and the universe.

Other individuals with the Einstein surname include the German-American composer and music theorist Alfred Einstein (1880-1952), known for his contributions to the study of music history and theory, and the American mathematician and computer scientist Herbert Einstein (1904-1973), who made significant contributions to the field of computer science.

Overall, the surname Einstein has a rich history that can be traced back to medieval Germany and the village of Einstein in Bavaria. Despite its widespread recognition today, the name's origins remain deeply rooted in this specific geographic region and its linguistic heritage.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Einstein

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

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 Einstein was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 94.54% 623
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 1.67% 11
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races (S)% (S)
Hispanic Origin 2.58% 17

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 Einstein has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 94.54% 97.41% -2.99%
Black (S)% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander 1.67% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Two or More Races (S)% (S)% (S)%
Hispanic 2.58% 1.37% 61.27%

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

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

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"Einstein last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/einstein-surname-popularity/.

"Einstein last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/einstein-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 December, 2024

Einstein last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/einstein-surname-popularity/.

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