2000
#29,873
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 742
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.28
Very Rare Last name
Blaustein
An ornamental surname derived from the German words "blau" meaning blue and "stein" meaning stone.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 822 Americans carry the last name Blaustein. That puts it at #34,101 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 416,976 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Blaustein 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
822
1 in 416,976
Census rank
#34,101
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
717
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 717 bearers of the surname Blaustein in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 34101st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Blaustein, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Two or More Races (1.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Blaustein
The surname Blaustein originated in Germany during the late medieval period, specifically in areas of southern Germany near the Swabian Alps. The name is derived from the German words "blau" meaning blue, and "stein" meaning stone, suggesting a potential connection to a place name or a descriptive term for a blue-colored rock or building material.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Blaustein surname can be found in the city records of Augsburg, dating back to the 15th century. In 1492, a merchant named Hans Blaustein was documented as a resident of the city. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region by the late 1400s.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Blaustein name appears in various historical records across southern Germany, including church registers and tax records. A notable example is Johann Blaustein (1540-1612), a Lutheran pastor and theologian who served in the town of Maulbronn, Württemberg.
As the Blaustein family spread throughout Germany and beyond, the surname underwent slight variations in spelling, such as Blausten, Blaustain, and Blawstein. In some cases, these variations may have been influenced by local dialects or scribal errors in record-keeping.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Blaustein surname outside of Germany can be found in the United States. In 1742, Johann Blaustein, a German immigrant from the Palatinate region, settled in Pennsylvania. His descendants went on to establish themselves in various parts of the country, contributing to the spread of the Blaustein name in America.
Other notable individuals with the Blaustein surname include:
1. Benedikt Blaustein (1765-1832), a German Catholic priest and theologian from Bavaria.
2. Leopold Blaustein (1805-1881), a German-born American businessman and philanthropist who founded the Blaustein Philanthropic Group.
3. Jacob Blaustein (1892-1970), an American businessman and philanthropist who served as the president of the American Jewish Committee.
4. Elissa Blaustein (1928-2015), an American psychologist and author known for her work in family therapy.
5. Louis Blaustein (1861-1940), an American attorney and politician who served as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates.
While the Blaustein surname has its roots in southern Germany, it has since spread across various parts of the world, with descendants contributing to various fields, including business, education, religion, and public service.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Blaustein
Among Census respondents with the surname Blaustein, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Two or More Races (1.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Blaustein 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 Blaustein surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 654
- Hispanic or Latino6.0% · 43
- Two or more races1.5% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 6
- Black or African American0.3% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Blaustein
Blaustein 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
#32,123
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 718
-24 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 0.24
Rank movement Down 2,250 places
2020
#34,101
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 717
-1 bearers (-0.1%)
Per 100,000 0.24
Rank movement Down 1,978 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #29,873 | 742 | 0.28 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #32,123 | 718 | 0.24 | -24 bearers (-3.2%) | Down 2,250 places |
| 2020 | #34,101 | 717 | 0.24 | -1 bearers (-0.1%) | Down 1,978 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 Blaustein 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 | #32,123 | #34,101 | -6.2% |
| Count | 718 | 717 | -0.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.24 | 0.24 | -0.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Blaustein bearers went from 718 to 717 (-0.1% change). The surname moved down 1,978 positions in the national ranking, going from #32,123 to #34,101.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Blaustein
FAQ
Blaustein surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Blaustein?
Name Census estimates that about 822 living Americans carry the surname Blaustein. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 416,976 residents.
How common is Blaustein?
Blaustein ranks #34,101 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.24 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 717 people with the surname Blaustein. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (822), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.24 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 Blaustein.
Has Blaustein become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Blaustein went from 718 recorded bearers to 717. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #32,123 to #34,101.
What does the Census say about the background of Blaustein?
Among Census respondents with the surname Blaustein, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Two or More Races (1.5%). 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 Blaustein in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (654 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Blaustein appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Hispanic (6.0%), Two or More Races (1.5%). 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 Blaustein (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 Blaustein mean?
An ornamental surname derived from the German words "blau" meaning blue and "stein" meaning stone. 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 Blaustein (0.24 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 common is the surname Blaustein?
Find out how many people have the last name Blaustein on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.