2000
#7,237
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,251
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.58
Rare Last name
Ginsberg
A Jewish surname derived from the German place name Günzberg, meaning "Günz mountain" or "Günz castle."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,538 Americans carry the last name Ginsberg. That puts it at #8,032 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.32 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 75,530 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ginsberg 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 Ginsberg with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.5K
1 in 75,530
Census rank
#8,032
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,957 bearers of the surname Ginsberg in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.32 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8032nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ginsberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ginsberg
The surname Ginsberg is of German and Ashkenazi Jewish origin, derived from the German place name Ginsberg, which means "green mountain" or "green hill." The name is thought to have originated in the 14th or 15th century in the Rhineland region of Germany.
The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the late 15th century, with records showing individuals with the surname Ginsberg living in various towns and villages in the Rhineland region. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Simon Ginsberg, who was mentioned in a document from the town of Mainz in 1492.
Over the centuries, the name has undergone various spelling variations, including Ginsburg, Ginzburg, and Ginsburgh. These variations often reflected local dialects and scribal errors in record-keeping.
The name Ginsberg gained prominence in the literary world with the American poet Allen Ginsberg (1926-1997), who was a leading figure in the Beat Generation and counterculture movements of the 1950s and 1960s. His best-known works include the poems "Howl" and "Kaddish."
Other notable individuals with the surname Ginsberg include:
1. Morris Ginsberg (1889-1970), a British sociologist and anthropologist known for his contributions to the study of social evolution and the concept of "organic analogies" in sociology.
2. Benjamin Ginsberg (born 1940), an American political scientist and author of numerous books on American politics and government.
3. Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933-2020), an influential American lawyer and jurist who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1993 until her death.
4. Martin Ginsburg (1932-2010), an American tax lawyer and husband of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, known for his work in tax law and civil rights advocacy.
5. Max Ginsburg (1909-1992), an American businessman and philanthropist who was instrumental in promoting the study of Jewish culture and history through his support of educational institutions and programs.
While the name Ginsberg has its origins in Germany, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly following the migration of Ashkenazi Jewish communities from Europe to other countries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ginsberg
Among Census respondents with the surname Ginsberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Ginsberg 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 Ginsberg surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 3,650
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 155
- Two or more races2.2% · 86
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 36
- Black or African American0.6% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ginsberg
Ginsberg 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
#8,060
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,110
-141 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 1.39
Rank movement Down 823 places
2020
#8,032
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,957
-153 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 1.32
Rank movement Up 28 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,237 | 4,251 | 1.58 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,060 | 4,110 | 1.39 | -141 bearers (-3.3%) | Down 823 places |
| 2020 | #8,032 | 3,957 | 1.32 | -153 bearers (-3.7%) | Up 28 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 Ginsberg 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 | #8,060 | #8,032 | 0.3% |
| Count | 4,110 | 3,957 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.39 | 1.32 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ginsberg bearers went from 4,110 to 3,957 (-3.7% change). The surname moved up 28 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,060 to #8,032.
FAQ
Ginsberg surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ginsberg?
Name Census estimates that about 4,538 living Americans carry the surname Ginsberg. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 75,530 residents.
How common is Ginsberg?
Ginsberg ranks #8,032 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.32 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 3,957 people with the surname Ginsberg. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,538), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.32 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.32 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 Ginsberg.
Has Ginsberg become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ginsberg went from 4,110 recorded bearers to 3,957. That is a decrease of 153 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,060 to #8,032.
What does the Census say about the background of Ginsberg?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ginsberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) 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 Ginsberg in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (3,650 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ginsberg appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Hispanic (3.9%), 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 Ginsberg (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 Ginsberg mean?
A Jewish surname derived from the German place name Günzberg, meaning "Günz mountain" or "Günz castle." 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 Ginsberg (1.32 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 are called Ginsberg?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Ginsberg, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.