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

Silverstein, 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 Silverstein surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Silverstein in America

Silverstein is the 5300th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Silverstein surname appeared 6,576 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Silverstein.

We can also compare 2010 data for Silverstein 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 Silverstein

The surname Silverstein originated in the Germanic regions of Europe, specifically in areas that are now part of modern-day Germany and Austria. It can be traced back to the late Middle Ages, around the 13th to 15th centuries. The name is derived from the occupational term "Silberstein," which translates to "silver stone" or "silver ore" in German. This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname were likely involved in silver mining or metalworking trades.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Silverstein name can be found in the 14th century Moravian municipal records, where a certain "Ulricus Silberstein" is mentioned as a resident of the town of Brno (formerly Brünn) in what is now the Czech Republic. This region had a rich history of silver mining and metalworking during the medieval period, which aligns with the occupational origins of the name.

In the 16th century, the Silverstein name appeared in various records across different German-speaking regions. For example, a "Hans Silberstein" is documented as a citizen of the town of Nürnberg (Nuremberg) in 1527. Around the same time, a "Johannes Silberstein" is recorded as a resident of the city of Augsburg in Bavaria.

One notable figure bearing the Silverstein surname was Johann Silberstein (1492-1570), a German theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation. He was born in the town of Schotten, near Frankfurt, and later became a prominent figure in the Lutheran church.

Another historical figure with the Silverstein name was Abraham Silberstein (1632-1694), a Jewish banker and financial advisor to the Elector of Brandenburg (later King of Prussia) in the 17th century. He was born in the town of Halberstadt, in what is now Saxony-Anhalt, Germany.

In the 19th century, the Silverstein name gained prominence in the United States, with many immigrants from German-speaking regions arriving in the country. One notable American Silverstein was Morris Silverstein (1859-1925), a businessman and philanthropist from New York City, who founded the Silverstein Foundation for charitable causes.

Throughout history, variations in the spelling of the Silverstein name have been observed, such as Silberstein, Silberstyn, and Silbersteine. However, the core meaning and occupational origins of the name have remained consistent across different regions and time periods.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Silverstein

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

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

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

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