2000
#139,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Finkelberg
A habitational name from any of several places named Finkelberg, derived from the German words finken "finch" and berg "mountain".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Finkelberg. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Finkelberg 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
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Finkelberg in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Finkelberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Finkelberg
Among Census respondents with the surname Finkelberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Finkelberg 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 Finkelberg surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.2% · 84
- Hispanic or Latino14.9% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Finkelberg
Finkelberg 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
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,590 places
2020
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-10 bearers (-9.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 6,923 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #139,757 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 8,590 places |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | -10 bearers (-9.0%) | Down 6,923 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 Finkelberg 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 | #148,347 | #155,270 | -4.7% |
| Count | 111 | 101 | -9.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Finkelberg bearers went from 111 to 101 (-9.0% change). The surname moved down 6,923 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #155,270.
FAQ
Finkelberg surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Finkelberg?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Finkelberg. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Finkelberg?
Finkelberg ranks #155,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 101 people with the surname Finkelberg. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Finkelberg.
Has Finkelberg become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Finkelberg went from 111 recorded bearers to 101. That is a decrease of 10 (-9.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #148,347 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Finkelberg?
Among Census respondents with the surname Finkelberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%). 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 Finkelberg in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.2% (84 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Finkelberg appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.2%), Hispanic (14.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%). 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 Finkelberg (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 Finkelberg mean?
A habitational name from any of several places named Finkelberg, derived from the German words finken "finch" and berg "mountain". 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 Finkelberg (0.03 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 Finkelberg?
Want to know how many people have the surname Finkelberg? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.