2010
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Goldzweig
A surname deriving from the German for "golden branch" or "gold twig."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Goldzweig. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Goldzweig 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
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Goldzweig in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Goldzweig, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Goldzweig
The surname Goldzweig has its origins in the German language, with the earliest records dating back to the 16th century. It is a compound word derived from the German words "gold," meaning the precious metal gold, and "zweig," meaning a branch or twig. The name likely originated in the German-speaking regions of central Europe, particularly in areas such as modern-day Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
One of the earliest known references to the name Goldzweig can be found in the records of the city of Nuremberg, where a merchant by the name of Hans Goldzweig was mentioned in the year 1582. This suggests that the name may have been associated with individuals involved in trade or commerce, possibly related to the gold or jewelry industry.
In the 17th century, the name appears in various church records and legal documents across different German-speaking regions. For instance, a Johann Goldzweig was recorded as a resident of the town of Bamberg in the year 1642. Another notable mention is that of a Maria Goldzweig, who was born in the city of Munich in 1674.
As the name spread across Europe, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Goldtzweig, Goldtzwig, and Goldtzweyg, reflecting regional differences in pronunciation and orthography. Some of these variants can be found in historical documents from the 18th and 19th centuries.
One prominent individual with the surname Goldzweig was the German philosopher and writer Friedrich Goldzweig, who lived from 1815 to 1887. He was known for his works on ethics and social philosophy, and his ideas had a significant influence on the intellectual discourse of his time.
Another notable figure was the Austrian artist and painter Anna Goldzweig, who was born in Vienna in 1856 and gained recognition for her landscapes and portraiture. Her works were exhibited in major galleries across Europe during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
In the field of music, the name Goldzweig is associated with the German composer and conductor Karl Goldzweig, who lived from 1875 to 1947. He was renowned for his operas and symphonic works, which were performed in various opera houses and concert halls throughout Europe.
While the surname Goldzweig is not among the most common, it has left a notable imprint on various aspects of history, from commerce and trade to the arts and intellectual spheres, primarily within the German-speaking regions of central Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Goldzweig
Among Census respondents with the surname Goldzweig, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Goldzweig 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 Goldzweig surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.0% · 96
- Hispanic or Latino5.0% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Goldzweig
Goldzweig appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-11 bearers (-9.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 8,017 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | -11 bearers (-9.8%) | Down 8,017 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 Goldzweig 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 | #147,253 | #155,270 | -5.4% |
| Count | 112 | 101 | -9.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Goldzweig bearers went from 112 to 101 (-9.8% change). The surname moved down 8,017 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #155,270.
FAQ
Goldzweig surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Goldzweig?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Goldzweig. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Goldzweig?
Goldzweig ranks #155,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 101 people with the surname Goldzweig. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Goldzweig.
Has Goldzweig become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Goldzweig went from 112 recorded bearers to 101. That is a decrease of 11 (-9.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #147,253 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Goldzweig?
Among Census respondents with the surname Goldzweig, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%). 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 Goldzweig in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.0% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Goldzweig appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.0%), Hispanic (5.0%). 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 Goldzweig (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 Goldzweig mean?
A surname deriving from the German for "golden branch" or "gold twig." 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 Goldzweig (0.03 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 have the surname Goldzweig?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.