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

Ekstein, 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 Ekstein surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ekstein in America

Ekstein is the 47966th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ekstein surname appeared 441 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 Ekstein.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ekstein 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 Ekstein

The surname EKSTEIN originated in Germany during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old German words "eck" meaning corner or angle, and "stein" meaning stone. This suggests the name likely referred to someone living near a stone landmark or structure with an angled shape.

One of the earliest records of the EKSTEIN name dates back to 1302 in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Bavaria. A merchant named Hans Ekstein is mentioned in a local registry. The name also appears in various spellings like Eckstein, Eckstain, and Ekstayn in other German regions during the 14th century.

In the 15th century, the EKSTEIN surname spread to neighboring areas like Austria and Switzerland. Notable examples include Peter Ekstein, a wealthy vineyard owner born in 1428 in Graz, Austria, and Johann Ekstein, a renowned clockmaker from Basel, Switzerland (1492-1567).

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name became more widespread across Germanic Europe. One prominent figure was Nikolaus Ekstein (1539-1623), a German philosopher and scholar who taught at the University of Heidelberg. Another was Maria Ekstein (1611-1678), a Bavarian noblewoman known for her patronage of the arts.

As the EKSTEIN family expanded, some members migrated to other European countries like France, England, and the Netherlands. For instance, Jacob Ekstein (1724-1802) was a Dutch merchant and shipowner based in Amsterdam. In 1771, Louis Ekstein, a French soldier, fought in the Battle of Chesapeake Bay during the American Revolutionary War.

Through the 19th century, the EKSTEIN name continued to be found across Central Europe. Figures include Karl Ekstein (1810-1892), an Austrian industrialist who established iron foundries, and Bertha Ekstein (1862-1944), a German painter and feminist activist involved in the women's suffrage movement.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ekstein

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

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

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

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