2000
#2,489
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,269
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.92
Uncommon Last name
Epstein
A Jewish surname derived from a place near Augsburg, Germany, or from the Yiddish words for "stone" or "jewel."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,004 Americans carry the last name Epstein. That puts it at #2,875 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 24,475 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Epstein 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Epstein with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
14K
1 in 24,475
Census rank
#2,875
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,212 bearers of the surname Epstein in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2875th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Epstein, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Epstein
The surname Epstein is of German origin, derived from the Yiddish "Eppeshteyn," which means "from the place of apple trees." The name likely originated in the 13th or 14th century in the German states.
Epstein is a topographic name, referring to someone who lived near or owned an apple orchard or a place where apple trees grew in abundance. It is also possible that the name was given as a descriptive nickname for someone who worked with or sold apples.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Epstein can be found in German records from the 16th century. In 1543, a document from the town of Augsburg mentions an "Abraham Epstein." Another early reference is from 1567, when a "Hertz Epstein" is recorded in the city of Frankfurt.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name Epstein was Marcus Epstein, a Jewish scholar and author who lived in Prague in the late 16th century. His work, "Kol Bo," published in 1574, was an important text on Jewish laws and customs.
In the 17th century, the name Epstein appears in various records across Germany. For instance, in 1638, a "Samuel Epstein" is listed in the town of Worms, and in 1677, a "Moses Epstein" is documented in the city of Cologne.
A notable figure with the surname Epstein was Jacob Epstein, a renowned American sculptor born in New York in 1880. He is best known for his modernist sculptures, including the iconic "Rock Drill" and the controversial "Rima" nude figures.
Another prominent individual was Sir Jacob Epstein, a British sculptor and artist born in 1880 in New York City. He is renowned for his avant-garde sculptures, such as the controversial "Rima" and the iconic "Rock Drill."
Melchior Epstein, a Polish-German rabbi and scholar born in 1570, was a significant figure in Jewish religious studies. He authored several influential works, including "Arba Turim" and "Chidushei Agadot."
Marcus Epstein, a Jewish scholar and author from Prague in the late 16th century, is notable for his influential work "Kol Bo," published in 1574, which covered Jewish laws and customs.
Lastly, Theodor Epstein, a German-American philosopher and author born in 1870, made significant contributions to the field of aesthetics with his works, including "The Essence of Philosophy" and "The Meaning of Life."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Epstein
Among Census respondents with the surname Epstein, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Epstein 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 Epstein surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.2% · 11,383
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 380
- Two or more races2.0% · 242
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 140
- Black or African American0.5% · 58
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Epstein
Epstein 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
#2,786
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,952
-317 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 4.39
Rank movement Down 297 places
2020
#2,875
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,212
-740 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 4.09
Rank movement Down 89 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,489 | 13,269 | 4.92 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,786 | 12,952 | 4.39 | -317 bearers (-2.4%) | Down 297 places |
| 2020 | #2,875 | 12,212 | 4.09 | -740 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 89 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 Epstein 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 | #2,786 | #2,875 | -3.2% |
| Count | 12,952 | 12,212 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 4.39 | 4.09 | -6.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Epstein bearers went from 12,952 to 12,212 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 89 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,786 to #2,875.
FAQ
Epstein surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Epstein?
Name Census estimates that about 14,004 living Americans carry the surname Epstein. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 24,475 residents.
How common is Epstein?
Epstein ranks #2,875 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.09 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,212 people with the surname Epstein. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,004), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.09 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Epstein.
Has Epstein become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Epstein went from 12,952 recorded bearers to 12,212. That is a decrease of 740 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,786 to #2,875.
What does the Census say about the background of Epstein?
Among Census respondents with the surname Epstein, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Epstein in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (11,383 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Epstein 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 (2.0%). 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 Epstein (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 Epstein mean?
A Jewish surname derived from a place near Augsburg, Germany, or from the Yiddish words for "stone" or "jewel." 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 Epstein (4.09 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 Epstein?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.