2000
#1,069
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 29,968
First available Census row
Per 100,000 11.11
Uncommon Last name
Goldberg
A Jewish surname derived from the German words "gold" (gold) and "berg" (mountain or hill), likely referring to a place of origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 32,311 Americans carry the last name Goldberg. That puts it at #1,226 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 9.43 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 10,608 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Goldberg 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 Goldberg with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
32K
1 in 10,608
Census rank
#1,226
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
9.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
28K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 28,177 bearers of the surname Goldberg in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 9.43 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1226th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Goldberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Goldberg
The surname Goldberg has its origins in the German language, with the earliest known records dating back to the 16th century in various regions of modern-day Germany. The name is derived from the combination of the German words "gold" meaning gold, and "berg" meaning mountain or hill, suggesting a connection to a place or location with a golden mountain or hill.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the baptismal records of the city of Nuremberg in 1558, where a certain Hans Goldberg is mentioned. Additionally, records from the town of Görlitz in Saxony show a family by the name of Goldberg residing there in the late 16th century.
Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, the surname Goldberg began to spread across various German-speaking regions, appearing in documents and records from cities and towns such as Leipzig, Dresden, and Frankfurt. During this period, several notable individuals bearing the Goldberg name emerged, including Johann Gottlieb Goldberg (1727-1756), a renowned German composer and musician best known for the famous "Goldberg Variations" composed by Johann Sebastian Bach.
As the 19th century dawned, the Goldberg name gained prominence in various fields. One notable figure was the German mathematician and astronomer Ludwig Goldberg (1824-1908), who made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and the motion of comets. Another individual of note was the German-American writer and philosopher Oskar Goldberg (1885-1952), who explored themes of existentialism and the human condition in his works.
In the 20th century, the Goldberg surname continued to be associated with influential individuals across various disciplines. One such figure was the American architect Bertrand Goldberg (1913-1997), renowned for his innovative architectural designs, including the iconic Marina City complex in Chicago. Another notable bearer of the name was the American psychologist Abraham A. Goldberg (1908-1982), who developed the Goldberg Depression Inventory, a widely used tool for assessing and diagnosing depression.
These are just a few examples of the many individuals throughout history who have carried the surname Goldberg, a name that traces its roots back to the German language and its association with a golden mountain or hill.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Goldberg
Among Census respondents with the surname Goldberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Goldberg 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 Goldberg surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.9% · 26,163
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 965
- Two or more races2.0% · 576
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 276
- Black or African American0.6% · 174
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 23
Timeline
Historical Census data for Goldberg
Goldberg 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
#1,193
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 29,603
-365 bearers (-1.2%)
Per 100,000 10.04
Rank movement Down 124 places
2020
#1,226
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 28,177
-1,426 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 9.43
Rank movement Down 33 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,069 | 29,968 | 11.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,193 | 29,603 | 10.04 | -365 bearers (-1.2%) | Down 124 places |
| 2020 | #1,226 | 28,177 | 9.43 | -1,426 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 33 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 Goldberg 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 | #1,193 | #1,226 | -2.8% |
| Count | 29,603 | 28,177 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 10.04 | 9.43 | -6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Goldberg bearers went from 29,603 to 28,177 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 33 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,193 to #1,226.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Goldberg
FAQ
Goldberg surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Goldberg?
Name Census estimates that about 32,311 living Americans carry the surname Goldberg. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 10,608 residents.
How common is Goldberg?
Goldberg ranks #1,226 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 9.43 per 100,000 residents, which is about 9 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 28,177 people with the surname Goldberg. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (32,311), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 9.43 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 9.43 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 9 of them to have the surname Goldberg.
Has Goldberg become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Goldberg went from 29,603 recorded bearers to 28,177. That is a decrease of 1,426 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,193 to #1,226.
What does the Census say about the background of Goldberg?
Among Census respondents with the surname Goldberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) 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 Goldberg in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (26,163 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Goldberg appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.9%), Hispanic (3.4%), 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 Goldberg (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 Goldberg mean?
A Jewish surname derived from the German words "gold" (gold) and "berg" (mountain or hill), likely referring to a place of origin. 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 Goldberg (9.43 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 Goldberg?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.