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

Goldin, 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 Goldin surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Goldin in America

Goldin is the 19398th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Goldin surname appeared 1,393 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Goldin.

We can also compare 2010 data for Goldin 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 Goldin

The surname Goldin is of Russian-Jewish origin, tracing its roots back to the late 18th and early 19th centuries in the Pale of Settlement, a region of the Russian Empire where Jews were permitted to reside. The name is derived from the Russian word "golod," meaning "hunger" or "famine," suggesting that the original bearers of this surname may have endured periods of hardship or scarcity.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Goldin surname appears in the 1816 census of the Mogilev Governorate, a region now spanning parts of modern-day Belarus and Russia. Here, the name is listed as "Goldin," with variations such as "Goldyn" and "Goldinskiy" also found in historical records.

In the late 19th century, a significant wave of Jewish emigration from the Russian Empire brought many Goldins to the United States and other countries. One notable individual from this period was Naoum Goldin (1840-1912), a Russian-born artist and sculptor who settled in Paris and gained recognition for his works depicting scenes from Jewish life.

As the Goldin family spread across Europe and North America, the name took on various spellings, including "Goldine" and "Goldyn." A prominent figure in the early 20th century was Solomon Goldin (1888-1962), a Polish-born American labor leader and activist who played a key role in organizing the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union.

Another individual of note was Horace Goldin (1873-1939), an American magician and escape artist who gained fame for his daring stunts and stage performances. His real name was Hyman Goldstein, but he adopted the stage name "Goldin" as a nod to his Eastern European Jewish heritage.

In the field of literature, the name Goldin is associated with the Russian-American novelist and playwright Ellen Goldin (1926-2020), whose works explored themes of identity, immigration, and the Jewish experience in America.

One of the most influential figures with the Goldin surname was the American artist Nan Goldin (born 1953), known for her intimate and raw photographic depictions of the LGBTQ+ community and the subcultures of the late 20th century.

While the Goldin surname has its roots in the hardships and struggles of the past, it has since become a name carried by individuals who have made significant contributions across various fields, from the arts and literature to labor activism and social justice.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Goldin

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Goldin, 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!