2000
#6,540
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,781
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.77
Rare Last name
Finkelstein
A Jewish surname derived from the German words meaning "sparkle" or "shine" and "stone."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,858 Americans carry the last name Finkelstein. That puts it at #7,559 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.42 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 70,555 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Finkelstein 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Finkelstein with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.9K
1 in 70,555
Census rank
#7,559
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,236 bearers of the surname Finkelstein in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.42 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7559th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Finkelstein, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Finkelstein
The surname Finkelstein has its origins in the Yiddish language and is an Ashkenazi Jewish name. It is derived from the Middle High German words "finke" meaning "finch" and "stein" meaning "stone", creating the literal meaning of "finch stone". This suggests the name may have been occupational, referring to someone who worked with birds or stones.
The name first appeared in the 13th century in areas of modern-day Germany and Poland where Jewish communities flourished. Early variations of the spelling included Finckelstein, Finkelsten, and Finkelsztajn. As Ashkenazi Jews migrated throughout Europe in the Middle Ages, the name spread to other regions.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Finkelstein name can be found in the 1385 census records of the city of Nuremberg, Germany, which lists a "Finckelstein" family. In the 15th century, a Rabbi Moses Finkelstein was a respected scholar in the city of Frankfurt, Germany.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the Finkelstein surname. Israel Finkelstein (1865-1942) was a Russian-born Zionist leader and one of the founders of the city of Tel Aviv. Sidney Finkelstein (1919-1974) was an American chemist who made significant contributions to the study of rubber and polymers.
Benjamin Finkelstein (1865-1939) was a Russian-born American businessman and philanthropist who funded the construction of the Finkelstein Memorial Library at Tulane University in New Orleans. Norman Finkelstein (born 1953) is a controversial American political scientist and author known for his criticism of Israeli policy towards Palestinians.
Joseph Finkelstein (1776-1865) was a Polish-born mathematician and astronomer who made important contributions to the field of celestial mechanics, studying the motion of planets and comets.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Finkelstein
Among Census respondents with the surname Finkelstein, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Finkelstein 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 Finkelstein surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.2% · 3,949
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 147
- Two or more races1.8% · 76
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 47
- Black or African American0.3% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Finkelstein
Finkelstein 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
#7,258
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,591
-190 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 1.56
Rank movement Down 718 places
2020
#7,559
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,236
-355 bearers (-7.7%)
Per 100,000 1.42
Rank movement Down 301 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,540 | 4,781 | 1.77 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,258 | 4,591 | 1.56 | -190 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 718 places |
| 2020 | #7,559 | 4,236 | 1.42 | -355 bearers (-7.7%) | Down 301 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 Finkelstein 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 | #7,258 | #7,559 | -4.1% |
| Count | 4,591 | 4,236 | -7.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.56 | 1.42 | -9.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Finkelstein bearers went from 4,591 to 4,236 (-7.7% change). The surname moved down 301 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,258 to #7,559.
FAQ
Finkelstein surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Finkelstein?
Name Census estimates that about 4,858 living Americans carry the surname Finkelstein. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 70,555 residents.
How common is Finkelstein?
Finkelstein ranks #7,559 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.42 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 4,236 people with the surname Finkelstein. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,858), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.42 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.42 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 Finkelstein.
Has Finkelstein become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Finkelstein went from 4,591 recorded bearers to 4,236. That is a decrease of 355 (-7.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,258 to #7,559.
What does the Census say about the background of Finkelstein?
Among Census respondents with the surname Finkelstein, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Finkelstein in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (3,949 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Finkelstein appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.2%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Finkelstein (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 Finkelstein mean?
A Jewish surname derived from the German words meaning "sparkle" or "shine" and "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 Finkelstein (1.42 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 surname Finkelstein?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.