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

Halperin, 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 Halperin surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Halperin in America

Halperin is the 16704th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Halperin surname appeared 1,714 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Halperin.

We can also compare 2010 data for Halperin 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 Halperin

The surname Halperin is of Jewish origin, specifically Ashkenazi Jewish. It can be traced back to the 16th century in parts of Eastern Europe, particularly Poland and Ukraine. The name is derived from the Hebrew word "Halper," which means "studious" or "diligent scholar." It was likely adopted as a surname by families who had members known for their dedication to religious studies.

In the early days, the name was often spelled as "Halperin" or "Halperen," reflecting the varying pronunciations and spellings common in those times. It is also possible that the name has roots in the Yiddish language, where it may have been a descriptive term for someone with a scholarly or intellectual demeanor.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Halperin appears in a 17th-century Polish census document, listing a family with this surname residing in the town of Lublin. Another historical reference can be found in an 1823 record from the Russian Empire, where a certain Yitzchak Halperin is mentioned as a respected Torah scholar.

Among notable individuals who bore the surname Halperin, we can mention Moshe Halperin (1886-1933), a prominent Zionist leader and author from Russia. Another notable figure is Isaac Halperin (1904-1974), a Russian-born American physicist who made significant contributions to the field of quantum mechanics.

In the literary world, we have Avram Halperin (1888-1968), a Yiddish writer and playwright from Poland, known for his works depicting the lives of Jewish communities in Eastern Europe. Additionally, there is Joseph Halperin (1911-1960), an American novelist and screenwriter who wrote for several Hollywood films in the 1940s and 1950s.

Historically, the name Halperin has also been associated with various rabbinical lineages and scholarly dynasties within the Jewish tradition. One example is the Halperin family from the town of Novy Dvor, Belarus, who produced several esteemed rabbis and Talmudic scholars over multiple generations.

While the surname Halperin is most prevalent among Jewish communities, it has also been adopted by non-Jewish families in various parts of the world, likely through intermarriage or cultural assimilation. However, its roots can be firmly traced back to the Ashkenazi Jewish diaspora of Eastern Europe.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Halperin

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Halperin, please contact us.

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