2000
#129,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Steinhorn
A German surname meaning "stone horn" or possibly referring to someone living near a stone landmark.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 115 Americans carry the last name Steinhorn. That puts it at #155,682 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,980,473 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Steinhorn 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
115
1 in 2,980,473
Census rank
#155,682
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
100
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 100 bearers of the surname Steinhorn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155682nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Steinhorn, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Steinhorn
The surname Steinhorn has its roots in the German language, with origins dating back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated in the regions of present-day Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, where it was likely a descriptive surname given to individuals who lived near or worked with stone quarries.
The name is derived from the German words "stein," meaning stone, and "horn," which can refer to a horn-shaped rock formation or a quarry. This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name may have resided near such geological features or worked as stonemasons or quarrymen.
Historical records indicate that the name Steinhorn first appeared in the late 13th century, with mentions in various local chronicles and legal documents from Germanic regions. One of the earliest known references is found in a 1296 manuscript from the city of Cologne, which mentions a "Heinricus Steinhorn" among the list of local tradesmen.
In the 15th century, the name Steinhorn began to appear in various town and village records across central Europe. Notable examples include Johannes Steinhorn, a farmer from the village of Steinbach in Bavaria, who was recorded in a land registry in 1437, and Hans Steinhorn, a stonemason from the town of Bregenz in present-day Austria, whose name is inscribed on the foundation stone of a local church dated 1483.
As the name spread across different regions, it also underwent some variations in spelling, such as Steinhoren, Steinhoern, and Steynhorn. These variations reflect the local dialects and linguistic influences of the areas where the name was adopted.
Throughout history, several individuals with the surname Steinhorn have achieved notable recognition. One prominent example is Peter Steinhorn (1553-1617), a German Protestant theologian and author who served as a professor at the University of Wittenberg and wrote extensively on religious matters.
Another notable figure is Johann Steinhorn (1621-1693), a German-born military engineer and architect who worked for the Swedish Crown. He is credited with designing several fortifications and defensive structures in Sweden during the 17th century.
In the 19th century, Friedrich Steinhorn (1810-1886) was a respected German lawyer and jurist who served as a judge in the city of Frankfurt and made significant contributions to the development of German civil law.
Additionally, the name Steinhorn has been associated with various place names and locations throughout central Europe, such as the town of Steinhorn in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt and the Steinhorn mountain range in the Swiss Alps.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Steinhorn
Among Census respondents with the surname Steinhorn, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Steinhorn 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 Steinhorn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.0% · 96
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Steinhorn
Steinhorn 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
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-10 bearers (-8.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,728 places
2020
#155,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-11 bearers (-9.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 7,335 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #129,619 | 121 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-8.3%) | Down 18,728 places |
| 2020 | #155,682 | 100 | 0.03 | -11 bearers (-9.9%) | Down 7,335 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 Steinhorn 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 | #148,347 | #155,682 | -4.9% |
| Count | 111 | 100 | -9.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -16.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Steinhorn bearers went from 111 to 100 (-9.9% change). The surname moved down 7,335 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #155,682.
FAQ
Steinhorn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Steinhorn?
Name Census estimates that about 115 living Americans carry the surname Steinhorn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,980,473 residents.
How common is Steinhorn?
Steinhorn ranks #155,682 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 100 people with the surname Steinhorn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (115), 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 Steinhorn.
Has Steinhorn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Steinhorn went from 111 recorded bearers to 100. That is a decrease of 11 (-9.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #148,347 to #155,682.
What does the Census say about the background of Steinhorn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Steinhorn, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Steinhorn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.0% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Steinhorn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.0%), Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Steinhorn (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 Steinhorn mean?
A German surname meaning "stone horn" or possibly referring to someone living near a stone landmark. 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 Steinhorn (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 Americans have the surname Steinhorn?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.