2000
#23,721
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 996
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.37
Rare Last name
Steinbrecher
A German occupational surname referring to a stone breaker or quarry worker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,260 Americans carry the last name Steinbrecher. That puts it at #23,795 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.37 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 272,027 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Steinbrecher 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
1.3K
1 in 272,027
Census rank
#23,795
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,099 bearers of the surname Steinbrecher in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.37 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 23795th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Steinbrecher, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Steinbrecher
The surname Steinbrecher is of German origin, with its roots dating back to the Middle Ages. It is a compound word derived from the German words "Stein," meaning stone, and "brecher," meaning breaker or quarryman. The name likely originated in areas where stone quarrying was a prominent occupation, such as the mountainous regions of Germany.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Steinbrecher can be found in historical records from the 14th century. One notable mention is in the Nuremberg Chronicles, a world history published in 1493, which includes a reference to a stonemason named Hans Steinbrecher from the city of Regensburg.
In the 16th century, the name appears in various church records and municipal documents across different German states. For instance, a certain Claus Steinbrecher is mentioned in the birth records of the town of Freiburg im Breisgau in 1562.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Steinbrecher name was Johann Steinbrecher, a respected stonemason and architect who lived in the city of Dresden in the late 16th century. He is credited with designing several notable buildings, including the Residenzschloss, the former royal palace of the Electors of Saxony.
During the 17th century, the Steinbrecher family spread across various regions of Germany, with some members settling in the neighboring countries of Austria and Switzerland. Notable individuals from this period include Matthias Steinbrecher, a renowned sculptor and woodcarver from Bamberg, who was born in 1612 and died in 1679.
In the 18th century, the Steinbrecher name gained prominence in the field of mineralogy and geology. One notable figure was Johann Friedrich Steinbrecher, a German mineralogist and geologist born in 1738 in Zwickau, Saxony. His contributions to the study of rocks and minerals were significant, and he is credited with discovering several new mineral species.
As the name suggests, many individuals with the surname Steinbrecher were involved in occupations related to stonework, such as quarrying, masonry, and sculpting. However, over time, the name also became associated with other professions and areas of expertise.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Steinbrecher
Among Census respondents with the surname Steinbrecher, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Steinbrecher 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 Steinbrecher surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.2% · 1,024
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 34
- Two or more races2.7% · 30
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 10
- Black or African American0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Steinbrecher
Steinbrecher 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
#23,457
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,084
+88 bearers (+8.8%)
Per 100,000 0.37
Rank movement Up 264 places
2020
#23,795
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,099
+15 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 0.37
Rank movement Down 338 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #23,721 | 996 | 0.37 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #23,457 | 1,084 | 0.37 | +88 bearers (+8.8%) | Up 264 places |
| 2020 | #23,795 | 1,099 | 0.37 | +15 bearers (+1.4%) | Down 338 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 Steinbrecher 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 | #23,457 | #23,795 | -1.4% |
| Count | 1,084 | 1,099 | 1.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.37 | 0.37 | -0.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Steinbrecher bearers went from 1,084 to 1,099 (+1.4% change). The surname moved down 338 positions in the national ranking, going from #23,457 to #23,795.
FAQ
Steinbrecher surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Steinbrecher?
Name Census estimates that about 1,260 living Americans carry the surname Steinbrecher. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 272,027 residents.
How common is Steinbrecher?
Steinbrecher ranks #23,795 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.37 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 1,099 people with the surname Steinbrecher. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,260), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.37 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.37 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 Steinbrecher.
Has Steinbrecher become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Steinbrecher went from 1,084 recorded bearers to 1,099. That is an increase of 15 (+1.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #23,457 to #23,795.
What does the Census say about the background of Steinbrecher?
Among Census respondents with the surname Steinbrecher, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Steinbrecher in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (1,024 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Steinbrecher appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.2%), Hispanic (3.1%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Steinbrecher (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 Steinbrecher mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a stone breaker or quarry worker. 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 Steinbrecher (0.37 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 Steinbrecher?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.