2000
#1,050
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 30,429
First available Census row
Per 100,000 11.28
Uncommon Last name
Goldstein
A Jewish surname derived from the German words "gold" and "stein," meaning "gold stone" or referring to a goldsmith.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 32,232 Americans carry the last name Goldstein. That puts it at #1,228 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 9.40 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 10,634 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Goldstein 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 Goldstein with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
32K
1 in 10,634
Census rank
#1,228
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
9.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
28K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 28,108 bearers of the surname Goldstein in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 9.40 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1228th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Goldstein, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Goldstein
The surname Goldstein originates from Germany, where it first appeared in the 16th century. It is a Jewish name, derived from the German words "gold" meaning gold and "stein" meaning stone. The name likely referred to someone who worked with gold or precious metals, or perhaps lived near a golden-colored stone or rock formation.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Goldstein can be found in the town records of Frankfurt am Main, Germany, dating back to the late 1500s. The name was also present in other German cities such as Berlin and Hamburg during this time period.
In the 17th century, the Goldstein name began to appear in various Jewish community records and documents across Europe. For instance, there are references to individuals with the surname Goldstein in the records of the Jewish community in Amsterdam, Netherlands from the mid-1600s.
A notable early bearer of the name was Rabbi Judah Loeb Goldstein, a respected Jewish scholar and religious leader who lived in Prague, Bohemia (now part of the Czech Republic) in the late 16th and early 17th centuries.
Another individual of historical significance was Moses Goldstein, a Jewish merchant and financier who lived in Berlin, Germany in the late 17th century. He was a prominent figure in the city's Jewish community and played a significant role in the economic and cultural life of Berlin during that time.
In the 18th century, the Goldstein name can be found in various regions of Europe, including Poland, where it was often spelled as "Goldsztejn" or "Goldsztain" due to the influence of the Polish language.
One of the most famous individuals with the surname Goldstein was Max Goldstein, a German-born American businessman and philanthropist who lived from 1870 to 1941. He founded the successful Goldstein's Department Store chain and was known for his charitable contributions to various causes.
Another notable Goldstein was Vida Goldstein, an Australian feminist and social reformer who campaigned for women's suffrage and equal rights. She lived from 1869 to 1949 and was a prominent figure in the women's rights movement in Australia.
In the 20th century, the Goldstein name became more widespread, with individuals bearing the surname making contributions in various fields such as science, literature, and politics. One example is Gérard Goldstein, a French physicist and mathematician who made significant contributions to the field of quantum mechanics. He lived from 1924 to 2004.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Goldstein
Among Census respondents with the surname Goldstein, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Goldstein 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 Goldstein surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 25,977
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 1,061
- Two or more races1.9% · 547
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 287
- Black or African American0.7% · 207
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 29
Timeline
Historical Census data for Goldstein
Goldstein 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
#1,173
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 29,938
-491 bearers (-1.6%)
Per 100,000 10.15
Rank movement Down 123 places
2020
#1,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 28,108
-1,830 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 9.40
Rank movement Down 55 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,050 | 30,429 | 11.28 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,173 | 29,938 | 10.15 | -491 bearers (-1.6%) | Down 123 places |
| 2020 | #1,228 | 28,108 | 9.40 | -1,830 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 55 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 Goldstein 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 | #1,173 | #1,228 | -4.7% |
| Count | 29,938 | 28,108 | -6.1% |
| Per 100K | 10.15 | 9.40 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Goldstein bearers went from 29,938 to 28,108 (-6.1% change). The surname moved down 55 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,173 to #1,228.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Goldstein
FAQ
Goldstein surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Goldstein?
Name Census estimates that about 32,232 living Americans carry the surname Goldstein. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 10,634 residents.
How common is Goldstein?
Goldstein ranks #1,228 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 9.40 per 100,000 residents, which is about 9 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 28,108 people with the surname Goldstein. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (32,232), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 9.4 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 9.40 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 9 of them to have the surname Goldstein.
Has Goldstein become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Goldstein went from 29,938 recorded bearers to 28,108. That is a decrease of 1,830 (-6.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,173 to #1,228.
What does the Census say about the background of Goldstein?
Among Census respondents with the surname Goldstein, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Goldstein in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (25,977 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Goldstein appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Hispanic (3.8%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Goldstein (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 Goldstein mean?
A Jewish surname derived from the German words "gold" and "stein," meaning "gold stone" or referring to a goldsmith. 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 Goldstein (9.40 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 Goldstein?
Find out how many people have the surname Goldstein on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.