2000
#4,798
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,728
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.49
Rare Last name
Eisenberg
A Jewish surname referring to someone from a place called Eisenberg, meaning "iron mountain" in German.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,135 Americans carry the last name Eisenberg. That puts it at #5,411 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 48,038 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Eisenberg 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
7.1K
1 in 48,038
Census rank
#5,411
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,222 bearers of the surname Eisenberg in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5411th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Eisenberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Eisenberg
The surname EISENBERG is of German origin and can be traced back to the 14th century. It is believed to have originated in the region of Bavaria, where it was likely derived from the German words "eisen" meaning "iron" and "berg" meaning "mountain" or "hill." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near an iron mine or worked in the iron industry.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name EISENBERG appears in a document from the town of Nuremberg in 1387, where a certain Johann Eisenberg is mentioned as a landowner. The name is also found in various medieval records from other parts of Bavaria and surrounding areas, sometimes spelled slightly differently, such as Eisenberger or Eysenberg.
In the 16th century, the name EISENBERG began to spread beyond Bavaria as people migrated to other parts of Germany and neighboring countries. Notable individuals bearing this surname include Johann Eisenberg (1589-1655), a German mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the field of trigonometry.
The EISENBERG name also has a strong presence in Jewish history, as many Ashkenazi Jews adopted German surnames during the 18th and 19th centuries. One of the earliest known Jewish individuals with the surname EISENBERG was Moses Eisenberg (1756-1828), a prominent rabbi and scholar who lived in Poland.
Another notable figure was Sigmund Eisenberg (1872-1952), an Austrian-American businessman and philanthropist who founded the Eisenberg Furniture Company in New York City. He was known for his support of Jewish causes and institutions.
In the 20th century, the name EISENBERG gained further recognition with individuals such as Michael Eisenberg (1944-2021), an American real estate developer and philanthropist who co-founded the Eisenberg Foundation, dedicated to supporting educational and medical initiatives.
Other notable EISENBERGS include Deborah Eisenberg (born 1945), an American short story writer and academic, and Günter Eisenberg (born 1929), a German linguist and author known for his work on German grammar and language history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Eisenberg
Among Census respondents with the surname Eisenberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Eisenberg 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 Eisenberg surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.5% · 5,816
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 188
- Two or more races1.9% · 117
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 66
- Black or African American0.5% · 31
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Eisenberg
Eisenberg 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
#5,148
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,798
+70 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 2.30
Rank movement Down 350 places
2020
#5,411
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,222
-576 bearers (-8.5%)
Per 100,000 2.08
Rank movement Down 263 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,798 | 6,728 | 2.49 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,148 | 6,798 | 2.30 | +70 bearers (+1.0%) | Down 350 places |
| 2020 | #5,411 | 6,222 | 2.08 | -576 bearers (-8.5%) | Down 263 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 Eisenberg 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 | #5,148 | #5,411 | -5.1% |
| Count | 6,798 | 6,222 | -8.5% |
| Per 100K | 2.30 | 2.08 | -9.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Eisenberg bearers went from 6,798 to 6,222 (-8.5% change). The surname moved down 263 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,148 to #5,411.
FAQ
Eisenberg surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Eisenberg?
Name Census estimates that about 7,135 living Americans carry the surname Eisenberg. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 48,038 residents.
How common is Eisenberg?
Eisenberg ranks #5,411 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.08 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 6,222 people with the surname Eisenberg. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,135), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.08 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 Eisenberg.
Has Eisenberg become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Eisenberg went from 6,798 recorded bearers to 6,222. That is a decrease of 576 (-8.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,148 to #5,411.
What does the Census say about the background of Eisenberg?
Among Census respondents with the surname Eisenberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Eisenberg in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.5% (5,816 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Eisenberg appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.5%), Hispanic (3.0%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Eisenberg (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 Eisenberg mean?
A Jewish surname referring to someone from a place called Eisenberg, meaning "iron mountain" in German. 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 Eisenberg (2.08 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 share the surname Eisenberg?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.