2000
#53,191
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 365
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.14
Very Rare Last name
Goldfine
A surname of German origin meaning 'of the golden boundary or border'.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 466 Americans carry the last name Goldfine. That puts it at #54,736 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 735,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Goldfine 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
466
1 in 735,524
Census rank
#54,736
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
406
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 406 bearers of the surname Goldfine in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 54736th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Goldfine, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Goldfine
The surname Goldfine has its origins in the Ashkenazi Jewish communities of Eastern Europe, specifically in areas that are now part of modern-day Poland and Ukraine. The name likely emerged during the 16th or 17th century, a period when many Jewish families began adopting hereditary surnames.
The name Goldfine is a combination of two words – "gold" and "fine." In Yiddish, the language spoken by Ashkenazi Jews, "gold" is rendered as "golt" or "goldin," while "fine" is "fein." This suggests that the name may have been derived from an occupation or trade related to the refining or working with gold.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Goldfine can be found in the Kahal records of Krakow, Poland, where a Rabbi Yitzhak Goldfine is mentioned in the late 17th century. These records were essential documents maintained by Jewish communities, chronicling births, marriages, and other significant events.
In the 18th century, the name Goldfine appeared in various Polish and Ukrainian towns, including Lviv (then known as Lemberg) and Zhytomyr. During this time, the name was sometimes spelled as Goldfin or Goldvine, reflecting the fluidity of surname spellings in those days.
A notable figure bearing the Goldfine surname was Rabbi Shlomo Goldfine, who lived in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He was a prominent scholar and author of several works on Jewish law and philosophy. Another individual of note was the poet and writer Yitzkhok Leybush Goldfine, who was born in the town of Berdichev, Ukraine, in 1820.
As Jewish communities faced persecution and sought new opportunities, many individuals bearing the Goldfine surname emigrated from Eastern Europe to other parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Western Europe. One such individual was Jacob Goldfine, who was born in Poland in 1845 and later settled in New York City, where he worked as a tailor.
Aaron Goldfine, born in Odessa, Ukraine, in 1870, was a successful businessman and philanthropist who immigrated to Montreal, Canada, in the early 20th century. He played a significant role in supporting the local Jewish community and various charitable causes.
While the Goldfine surname may have originated from a specific occupation or trade, over time, it has become a distinctive family name carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions. The name's enduring presence serves as a testament to the resilience and rich cultural heritage of the Ashkenazi Jewish diaspora.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Goldfine
Among Census respondents with the surname Goldfine, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Goldfine 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 Goldfine surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.9% · 377
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 15
- Two or more races2.0% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 4
- Black or African American0.5% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Goldfine
Goldfine 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
#52,482
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 395
+30 bearers (+8.2%)
Per 100,000 0.13
Rank movement Up 709 places
2020
#54,736
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 406
+11 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.14
Rank movement Down 2,254 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #53,191 | 365 | 0.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #52,482 | 395 | 0.13 | +30 bearers (+8.2%) | Up 709 places |
| 2020 | #54,736 | 406 | 0.14 | +11 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 2,254 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 Goldfine 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 | #52,482 | #54,736 | -4.3% |
| Count | 395 | 406 | 2.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.13 | 0.14 | 4.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Goldfine bearers went from 395 to 406 (+2.8% change). The surname moved down 2,254 positions in the national ranking, going from #52,482 to #54,736.
FAQ
Goldfine surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Goldfine?
Name Census estimates that about 466 living Americans carry the surname Goldfine. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 735,524 residents.
How common is Goldfine?
Goldfine ranks #54,736 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.14 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 406 people with the surname Goldfine. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (466), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.14 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.14 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Goldfine.
Has Goldfine become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Goldfine went from 395 recorded bearers to 406. That is an increase of 11 (+2.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #52,482 to #54,736.
What does the Census say about the background of Goldfine?
Among Census respondents with the surname Goldfine, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Goldfine in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (377 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Goldfine appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.9%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Goldfine (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 Goldfine mean?
A surname of German origin meaning 'of the golden boundary or border'. 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 Goldfine (0.14 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 share the surname Goldfine?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.