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

Garfinkel, 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 Garfinkel surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Garfinkel in America

Garfinkel is the 17193rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Garfinkel surname appeared 1,647 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Garfinkel.

We can also compare 2010 data for Garfinkel 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 Garfinkel

The surname GARFINKEL is of Ashkenazi Jewish origin, with roots tracing back to Germany and Eastern Europe in the Middle Ages. It is believed to be a topographic name, derived from the Yiddish words "gor" meaning "vegetable" and "finkl" meaning "peddler" or "seller," suggesting an ancestor who may have been a traveling vegetable vendor.

In its earliest form, the name was likely spelled "Gorfinkl" or variations thereof, reflecting its Yiddish roots. As Jewish communities migrated across Europe, the name evolved and took on different spellings, such as GARFUNKEL and GARFINKEL, the latter being the more common modern variation.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the 1571 tax records of the town of Worms, Germany, where a certain Abraham Gorfinkl is mentioned. This provides evidence of the name's existence in the 16th century.

In the 17th century, the GARFINKEL name appears in various Jewish community records and documents across Germany and Poland. Notably, Rabbi Yitzchak GARFUNKEL (1588-1663), a renowned Talmudic scholar from Krakow, Poland, carried a variation of the name.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, as Jews faced persecution and expulsion from many parts of Europe, many GARFINKEL families sought refuge in other regions, including the Russian Empire and the United States. One notable figure was Solomon GARFUNKEL (1786-1861), a prominent merchant and philanthropist who settled in Odessa, Russia.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the GARFINKEL name gained recognition in the United States with the arrival of Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe. Jacob GARFINKEL (1851-1915), a successful businessman and philanthropist in New York City, was among the early GARFINKEL settlers in America.

Another notable figure was Joseph GARFINKEL (1899-1977), a Polish-born American painter and sculptor known for his abstract expressionist works. His art is featured in several major museums, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Abraham GARFINKEL (1901-1986), a Russian-born American economist and professor at Harvard University, made significant contributions to the field of industrial organization and antitrust policy.

The GARFINKEL surname has a rich history, spanning centuries and continents, reflecting the resilience and perseverance of Jewish communities in the face of adversity.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Garfinkel

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

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

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

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