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

Ginsburg, 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 Ginsburg surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ginsburg in America

Ginsburg is the 10411th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ginsburg surname appeared 3,093 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 Ginsburg.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ginsburg 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 Ginsburg

The surname Ginsburg has its origins in the German language, with the earliest records of the name dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the German words "Gins" and "Berg," which together translate to "Yew Hill" or "Yew Mountain." This suggests that the name may have originated from a place name or geographic location where yew trees were abundant.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Ginsburg surname can be found in the town of Ginsheim, located in the state of Hesse, Germany. This town's name is derived from the same root words as the surname, providing further evidence of the name's German origins.

In the 17th century, the Ginsburg name appeared in various records and manuscripts, including church records and village registries. Notable individuals who bore this surname during this time period include Johann Ginsburg (1602-1673), a prominent merchant and landowner in the city of Frankfurt, and Anna Ginsburg (1618-1692), a respected midwife and healer in the town of Marburg.

As the 18th century unfolded, the Ginsburg family spread across various regions of Germany, with some members eventually migrating to other parts of Europe and the Americas. One notable figure from this era was Karl Ginsburg (1734-1802), a renowned philosopher and author who published several influential works on ethics and morality.

In the 19th century, the Ginsburg name gained further prominence with the birth of Moses Ginsburg (1822-1890), a renowned Hebrew scholar and Bible commentator. Born in Poland, Ginsburg made significant contributions to the study of the Hebrew Bible and its manuscripts, earning him widespread recognition in academic circles.

Another notable individual from this time period was Asher Ginsburg (1856-1927), better known by his pen name Ahad Ha'am, a Jewish philosopher and one of the leading figures of the Zionist movement. His writings and ideas helped shape the ideology of cultural Zionism and had a profound impact on the development of modern Israel.

As the 20th century dawned, the Ginsburg name continued to make its mark in various fields, including law, academia, and the arts. One of the most famous individuals to bear this surname was Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933-2020), a pioneering jurist who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1993 until her death in 2020.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ginsburg

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!