2000
#9,485
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,143
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.17
Rare Last name
Feinstein
A Jewish surname of German origin, meaning "fine stone," likely referring to a gemstone or precious stone.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,393 Americans carry the last name Feinstein. That puts it at #10,349 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.99 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 101,018 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Feinstein 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
3.4K
1 in 101,018
Census rank
#10,349
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,959 bearers of the surname Feinstein in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.99 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10349th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Feinstein, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Feinstein
The surname Feinstein originated from the German language and has its roots in the Ashkenazi Jewish communities of Central and Eastern Europe. It is derived from the German word "fein," meaning "fine" or "delicate," combined with the suffix "-stein," which means "stone." This combination suggests a potential connection to a person's occupation or place of residence.
The earliest known record of the Feinstein surname can be traced back to the 16th century in Germany. One of the earliest documented individuals with this name was Rabbi Mordechai Feinstein, who lived in the 16th century and was a respected scholar and teacher in the Jewish community.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, the Feinstein name appeared in various historical records and documents across Germany and Poland. It is believed that the name may have originated from a place name or a descriptive term related to a person's occupation or physical characteristics.
One notable individual with the Feinstein surname was Moses Feinstein (1895-1986), a renowned Orthodox Jewish scholar and posek (legal decisor) who was widely respected for his expertise in Jewish law and his extensive writings on a wide range of topics.
Another prominent figure with this surname was Dianne Feinstein (born 1933), a former United States Senator from California who served from 1992 to 2023. She was also the first woman to serve as the chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee.
In the 19th century, the Feinstein surname began to appear in various parts of Europe and North America, as Jewish communities migrated and settled in new regions. One noteworthy individual from this period was Isaac Feinstein (1842-1903), a Lithuanian-born American rabbi and author who served as the chief rabbi of Congregation Beit Aharon V'Israel in St. Louis, Missouri.
Additionally, the Feinstein name was associated with the Russian-born American businessman and philanthropist Wolf Feinstein (1865-1943), who made significant contributions to the development of the Jewish community in Chicago.
Throughout its history, the Feinstein surname has been associated with various professions, including scholars, rabbis, businesspeople, and politicians, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of those who have carried this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Feinstein
Among Census respondents with the surname Feinstein, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Feinstein 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 Feinstein surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 2,747
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 95
- Two or more races2.2% · 65
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 33
- Black or African American0.5% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Feinstein
Feinstein 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
#10,050
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,205
+62 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 1.09
Rank movement Down 565 places
2020
#10,349
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,959
-246 bearers (-7.7%)
Per 100,000 0.99
Rank movement Down 299 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,485 | 3,143 | 1.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,050 | 3,205 | 1.09 | +62 bearers (+2.0%) | Down 565 places |
| 2020 | #10,349 | 2,959 | 0.99 | -246 bearers (-7.7%) | Down 299 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 Feinstein 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 | #10,050 | #10,349 | -3.0% |
| Count | 3,205 | 2,959 | -7.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.09 | 0.99 | -9.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Feinstein bearers went from 3,205 to 2,959 (-7.7% change). The surname moved down 299 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,050 to #10,349.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Feinstein
FAQ
Feinstein surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Feinstein?
Name Census estimates that about 3,393 living Americans carry the surname Feinstein. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 101,018 residents.
How common is Feinstein?
Feinstein ranks #10,349 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.99 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 2,959 people with the surname Feinstein. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,393), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.99 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.99 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 Feinstein.
Has Feinstein become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Feinstein went from 3,205 recorded bearers to 2,959. That is a decrease of 246 (-7.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,050 to #10,349.
What does the Census say about the background of Feinstein?
Among Census respondents with the surname Feinstein, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) 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 Feinstein in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (2,747 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Feinstein appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.8%), Hispanic (3.2%), 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 Feinstein (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 Feinstein mean?
A Jewish surname of German origin, meaning "fine stone," likely referring to a gemstone or precious stone. 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 Feinstein (0.99 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 Feinstein?
If you just want to know how common the surname Feinstein is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.