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

Steiner, 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 Steiner surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Steiner in America

Steiner is the 1511th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Steiner surname appeared 23,735 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 8 people would have the surname Steiner.

We can also compare 2010 data for Steiner 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 Steiner

The surname Steiner originates from the German language and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the German word "Stein," which means "stone." The name was likely first given to someone who lived near a prominent stone or rock formation, or perhaps worked as a stonemason or quarry worker.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Steiner name can be found in the Codex Traditionum Lunaelacensis, a medieval cartulary from the Benedictine monastery of Lunelau in Alsace, France, dating back to the 12th century. The document mentions a person named "Heinricus Steiner" in the year 1181.

During the 13th century, the name appeared in various records across German-speaking regions, including the Codex Traditions Monasterii Sancti Pauli in Carinthia, Austria, which listed a "Chunradus Steiner" in 1240.

In England, the Steiner name can be traced back to the 16th century, with references to a "John Steiner" in the parish records of St. Dunstan's Church in Stepney, London, in 1578.

Notable individuals with the Steiner surname include:

1. Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925), an Austrian philosopher and founder of the Anthroposophy movement.
2. Max Steiner (1888-1971), an Austrian-born American composer and conductor, known for his work in film scores.
3. George Steiner (1929-2020), a French-born American literary critic and philosopher.
4. Jakob Steiner (1796-1863), a Swiss mathematician and geometrician.
5. Ralph Steiner (1899-1986), an American photographer and filmmaker, known for his pioneering work in avant-garde cinema.

The Steiner surname has also been associated with various place names throughout history, such as Steinau an der Strasse in Hesse, Germany, and Steinerberg, a hill in the canton of Schaffhausen, Switzerland.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Steiner

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

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

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

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