Bernstein Surname

13,004th
Most Common
surname in the World

Approximately 43,142 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in:
United States
Highest density in:
Israel

Bernstein Surname Definition:

(Ger.) Amber [Ger. bernstein, amber: the surname is mod. Ger.-Jewish]

Read More About This Surname

Bernstein Surname Distribution Map

PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States30,9831:11,6991,458
Israel4,3241:1,979206
Germany3,2401:24,8473,302
Canada1,0091:36,5174,646
England9661:57,6796,943
South Africa5491:98,68411,981
Brazil4391:487,64118,415
France3371:197,10030,644
Argentina2141:199,73616,554
Australia1431:188,78118,817
Chile1121:157,2905,296
Denmark861:65,6366,586
Sweden601:164,11311,407
Thailand491:1,441,599197,614
Switzerland461:178,54216,145
Dominican Republic461:226,8038,136
Romania431:466,92736,259
Russia331:4,367,365205,470
New Zealand291:156,14917,650
Norway281:183,65321,594
Portugal281:372,08012,265
Singapore261:211,83510,313
Scotland241:223,07611,507
Venezuela241:1,258,50317,711
Netherlands221:767,59958,330
Ireland211:224,2358,707
Poland191:2,000,46098,816
Wales181:171,91811,581
Zimbabwe171:908,13259,260
Mexico171:7,301,54134,591
Sudan161:2,344,3874,438
Spain151:3,116,80265,296
Belgium121:958,05473,966
Italy91:6,795,188113,457
China91:151,924,6187,954
United States Virgin Islands91:12,2641,665
Barbados91:31,9391,516
Northern Ireland81:230,63010,839
Estonia81:165,22626,217
Moldova71:508,76732,975
Czechia61:1,772,245105,647
Japan51:25,568,85950,629
Hong Kong51:1,467,0975,611
India51:153,413,076951,030
Greece51:2,215,95891,893
Uruguay51:686,35229,886
Azerbaijan31:3,216,37432,290
Jersey31:33,0674,675
Indonesia21:66,124,597756,638
Finland21:2,748,35172,663
Philippines21:50,619,112341,003
United Arab Emirates21:4,581,13693,443
South Korea21:25,620,1284,175
Kenya21:23,089,95083,168
Bahamas21:195,8761,708
Austria21:4,257,71899,224
Luxembourg21:290,2718,611
Bhutan11:616,0391,715
Aruba11:103,4772,586
Taiwan11:23,444,74693,622
Ecuador11:15,905,84650,210
Tunisia11:610,62630,336
Turkey11:77,821,422191,047
Ukraine11:45,522,696503,646
Belarus11:9,501,059159,228
Uzbekistan11:30,929,14267,786
Vietnam11:92,646,0548,382
Yemen11:26,425,29455,147
Georgia11:3,745,54547,852
Isle of Man11:85,8224,091
Jamaica11:2,869,94713,896
Jordan11:8,842,43726,010
Kazakhstan11:17,682,496204,010
Latvia11:2,050,04660,295
Malaysia11:29,494,225409,885
Maldives11:404,1727,269
Monaco11:37,0664,748
Namibia11:2,409,40119,676
Nepal11:28,480,95622,413
Bulgaria11:6,978,90586,260
Nicaragua11:6,021,0908,768
Gambia11:1,923,4511,043
Pakistan11:178,643,885213,220
Panama11:3,912,25817,195
Peru11:31,784,12364,452
Puerto Rico11:3,550,1399,109
Qatar11:2,357,99976,403
Saint Kitts and Nevis11:55,1991,294
Cyprus11:884,87613,055
Costa Rica11:4,780,06913,345
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Ireland211:210,9469,809
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
England2761:88,3179,234
Scotland111:340,29210,329
Wales11:1,568,41619,290
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States1,1031:45,5295,264

The alternate forms: Bernštein (3) are calculated separately.

Bernstein (117) may also be a first name.

Bernstein Surname Meaning

From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history

(Ger.) Amber [Ger. bernstein, amber: the surname is mod. Ger.-Jewish]

Surnames of the United Kingdom (1912) by Henry Harrison

“Amber” in German.

South African Surnames (1965) by Eric Rosenthal

(German) One who who came from Bernstein (amber), now in Poland.

Dictionary of American Family Names (1956) by Elsdon Coles Smith

(from the name of a male ancestor) or (from an ancestor's occupation) Bernstein is German for “amber.” Some Bernsteins may have derived their name from their dealings in amber. However, almost all the Bernsteins are descendants of a person called Berko or Berish, a diminutive for Ber, the kinnui for Issachar.

— Rabbi Benzion Kaganoff

User-submitted Reference

Bern is a variant of the German word for 'bear'. Note that the symbol of the Swiss city Bern is a bear; and stein, in German, means 'rock'. Thus, Bernstein is a rock a bear scratches.

- waterspritehi

Ber = 'bear' and stein = 'stone'. Thus Bernstein means 'stone bear'.

- florencia.bernstein

Bernstein Last Name Facts

Where Does The Last Name Bernstein Come From? nationality or country of origin

The surname Bernstein occurs more in The United States more than any other country or territory. It can also appear as a variant: Bernštein. For other possible spellings of this last name click here.

How Common Is The Last Name Bernstein? popularity and diffusion

It is the 13,004th most frequently held surname world-wide. It is borne by approximately 1 in 168,920 people. This last name occurs predominantly in The Americas, where 76 percent of Bernstein live; 74 percent live in North America and 74 percent live in Anglo-North America. It is also the 864,112th most numerous first name globally. It is borne by 117 people.

The surname Bernstein is most frequent in The United States, where it is borne by 30,983 people, or 1 in 11,699. In The United States Bernstein is mostly concentrated in: New York, where 23 percent reside, California, where 14 percent reside and Florida, where 11 percent reside. Aside from The United States Bernstein exists in 89 countries. It is also common in Israel, where 10 percent reside and Germany, where 8 percent reside.

Bernstein Family Population Trend historical fluctuation

The incidence of Bernstein has changed through the years. In The United States the number of people carrying the Bernstein last name increased 2,809 percent between 1880 and 2014; in England it increased 350 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Scotland it increased 218 percent between 1881 and 2014 and in Wales it increased 1,800 percent between 1881 and 2014.

Bernstein Last Name Statistics demography

The religious devotion of those bearing the surname is predominantly Jewish (100%) in Ireland.

In The United States those bearing the Bernstein last name are 41.85% more likely to be registered with the Democratic Party than the national average, with 95.08% being registered with the party.

The amount Bernstein earn in different countries varies greatly. In Norway they earn 70.01% more than the national average, earning 588,360 kr per year; in South Africa they earn 176.82% more than the national average, earning R 657,828 per year; in United States they earn 34.48% more than the national average, earning $58,027 USD per year and in Canada they earn 53.74% more than the national average, earning $76,383 CAD per year.

Phonetically Similar Names

SurnameSimilarityWorldwide IncidencePrevalency
Bernštein963/
Berenstein951,024/
Berinstein95243/
Bernshtein95163/
Baernstein9530/
Biernstein9510/
Boernstein956/
Bernstiein952/
Bernsztein952/
Bernsstein951/
Bernstgein951/
Beirnstein950/
Bearnstein950/
Berrenstein90211/
Berenshtein90158/
Berensztein9041/
Beerinstein903/
Bierrnstein901/
Berinsztein901/
Berensstein900/
Bornstein895,133/
Bernstine89343/
Birnstein89299/
Bernstien89143/
Barnstein89140/
Bernsteen8966/
Bernstain8913/
Bernstéen897/
Bernsteyn896/
Vernstein895/
Bernstene894/
Bernztein893/
Bernsteim891/
Börnstein891/
Bernstejn891/
Bernsteinová866/
Berenschtein861/
Borenstein844,351/
Bernshteyn84411/
Borinstein84116/
Barinstein8452/
Barenstein8451/
Berinstain8450/
Berenstain8427/
Bornsztein8421/
Byrnshtein8410/
Berenstien846/
Bornshtein844/
Berensteyn844/
Berenstine841/
Bernsztejn841/
Berensteim841/
Berenstejn841/
Berinstáin841/
Berensteen841/
Bernshtain841/
Berenshteyn80385/
Borensztein80164/
Beerensteyn8047/
Barrenstein8046/
Berensztejn8028/
Borenshtein8018/
Berenchtein8018/
Borynsztein807/
Berenshtain806/
Barinshtein806/
Borynshtein806/
Berinshteyn805/
Barynshtein805/
Berenshtien803/
Borinshtein803/
Borrenstein802/
Borensteain801/
Borinsztein801/
Bernchteine801/
Barenshtein801/
Virnstein7842/
Bornstain7833/
Barnstien7821/
Bornstien7815/
Bernstajn786/
Bernstayn782/
Bernshtan782/
Bornstejn781/
Bornztein781/
Bernşteyn781/
Birnsteinová7616/
Birnsteinova761/
Bernsztajn7434/
Bernshtayn7432/
Bornsztejn7416/
Borenstien7413/
Bornshteyn7411/
Byrnshtain7410/
Borenstain748/
Borenstejn744/
Bornsztain743/
Borinstien741/
Birenstine741/
Vernshteyn741/
Borenztein741/
Bernstam7119/
Borensztejn70159/
Borenshteyn7040/
Barinshteyn7016/
Borinshteyn7014/
Berensztajn707/
Borenshtain706/
Berenshtayn706/
Borenszteyn706/
Borensztain704/
Barenshteyn702/
Borenshtien702/
Borensztien701/
Berinshteym701/
Berenstam6776/
Bernshtam6729/
Birnšteinová672/

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Bernstein Reference & Research

Bernstein DNA Website - A web page dedicated to the genetic research of those who bear the surname and its variants.

Moritz family FamilyTree DNA Group - A group collating DNA test results for those who bear the surname, includes results of DNA tests and discussions.

Bernstein FamilyTree DNA Project - A description of a group researching the paternal lines of men who bear the surname with the help of DNA analysis.

Moritz family FamilyTree DNA Project - A description of a group researching the paternal lines of men who bear the surname with the help of DNA analysis.

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Footnotes

  • Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
  • Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
  • Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
  • Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
  • Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
  • Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
  • Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to Bernstein
  • To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on Family​Search, My​Heritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis