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

Finkelberg, 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 Finkelberg surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Finkelberg in America

Finkelberg is the 148347th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Finkelberg surname appeared 111 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 Finkelberg.

We can also compare 2010 data for Finkelberg 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 Finkelberg

The surname Finkelberg has its origins in the Yiddish language, spoken by Ashkenazi Jewish communities across Central and Eastern Europe. It is believed to have emerged in the late Middle Ages or early modern period, possibly in the German-speaking regions of the Holy Roman Empire.

The name Finkelberg is thought to be derived from the Yiddish word "finkel," which means "small spark" or "little flame." This word likely originated from the German word "Funke" or "Fünklein," which has a similar meaning. The suffix "-berg" is a common Germanic element, meaning "mountain" or "hill."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Finkelberg name can be found in the town records of Frankfurt am Main, dating back to the 16th century. These records mention a certain Abraham Finkelberg, a merchant who lived and worked in the city's Jewish quarter.

In the 17th century, the Finkelberg name appears in various Jewish community records across the German states, including Bavaria, Saxony, and Hesse. One notable individual from this period was Rabbi Yitzchak Finkelberg (c. 1620-1690), a respected scholar and author of several religious texts.

As the Jewish diaspora spread across Europe, the Finkelberg name traveled with it. In the 18th century, there are records of Finkelbergs living in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, particularly in the city of Kraków. One prominent figure was Shlomo Finkelberg (1718-1789), a renowned kabbalist and teacher.

The 19th century saw the Finkelberg name appearing in various parts of the Russian Empire, including modern-day Ukraine and Belarus. One notable individual from this period was Yakov Finkelberg (1825-1901), a banker and philanthropist who supported Jewish educational initiatives in Odessa.

As the 20th century dawned, the Finkelberg name continued to spread across Europe and beyond. Notable individuals from this era include the Russian-American mathematician Vladimir Finkelberg (1888-1942), who made significant contributions to the field of topology, and the Polish-Israeli writer and translator Isaac Bashevis Singer (1902-1991), recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1978.

Throughout its history, the Finkelberg surname has been associated with a diverse range of individuals, from rabbis and scholars to businessmen and artists, reflecting the rich cultural heritage of the Ashkenazi Jewish diaspora.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Finkelberg

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

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

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

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