2000
#9,716
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,068
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.14
Rare Last name
Ginsburg
A Jewish surname derived from the German town of Günzburg, likely indicating ancestral origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,098 Americans carry the last name Ginsburg. That puts it at #11,195 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 110,637 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ginsburg 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
3.1K
1 in 110,637
Census rank
#11,195
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,702 bearers of the surname Ginsburg in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11195th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ginsburg, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ginsburg
Among Census respondents with the surname Ginsburg, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Ginsburg 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 Ginsburg surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 2,493
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 75
- Two or more races2.6% · 70
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 40
- Black or African American0.7% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ginsburg
Ginsburg 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
#10,411
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,093
+25 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 1.05
Rank movement Down 695 places
2020
#11,195
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,702
-391 bearers (-12.6%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Down 784 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,716 | 3,068 | 1.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,411 | 3,093 | 1.05 | +25 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 695 places |
| 2020 | #11,195 | 2,702 | 0.90 | -391 bearers (-12.6%) | Down 784 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 Ginsburg 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 | #10,411 | #11,195 | -7.5% |
| Count | 3,093 | 2,702 | -12.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.05 | 0.90 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ginsburg bearers went from 3,093 to 2,702 (-12.6% change). The surname moved down 784 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,411 to #11,195.
FAQ
Ginsburg surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ginsburg?
Name Census estimates that about 3,098 living Americans carry the surname Ginsburg. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 110,637 residents.
How common is Ginsburg?
Ginsburg ranks #11,195 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.90 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 2,702 people with the surname Ginsburg. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,098), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.90 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 Ginsburg.
Has Ginsburg become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ginsburg went from 3,093 recorded bearers to 2,702. That is a decrease of 391 (-12.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,411 to #11,195.
What does the Census say about the background of Ginsburg?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ginsburg, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Ginsburg in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (2,493 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ginsburg appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Hispanic (2.8%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Ginsburg (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 Ginsburg mean?
A Jewish surname derived from the German town of Günzburg, likely indicating ancestral origin. 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 Ginsburg (0.90 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 Ginsburg?
Find out how many people are called Ginsburg on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.