UK surname
A Jewish surname derived from the Yiddish words "grin" (green) and "shtein" (stone), likely referring to a green gemstone.
The strongest historical links point to -, St Mary Whitechapel and Cromdale, Inverallan and Advie. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include No data.
Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Greenstein is 115 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has changed.
1881 census count
-
Modern count
61
2016, ranked #34,287
Peak year
1911
115 bearers
Map years
1
1911 to 1911
Key insights
Map
Back to topThe map shows where the Greenstein surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.
Distribution map
Greenstein surname density by area, 1911 census.
Timeline
Back to topThe table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.
| Year | Period | Count | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1861 | historical | 2 | #34,135 |
| 1891 | historical | 31 | #31,820 |
| 1901 | historical | 82 | #25,019 |
| 1911 | historical | 115 | #20,951 |
| 1997 | modern | 51 | #32,545 |
| 1998 | modern | 53 | #32,633 |
| 1999 | modern | 52 | #32,848 |
| 2000 | modern | 47 | #33,358 |
| 2001 | modern | 49 | #33,048 |
| 2002 | modern | 56 | #32,753 |
| 2003 | modern | 49 | #33,456 |
| 2004 | modern | 55 | #33,154 |
| 2005 | modern | 56 | #33,264 |
| 2006 | modern | 56 | #33,587 |
| 2007 | modern | 58 | #33,731 |
| 2008 | modern | 60 | #33,743 |
| 2009 | modern | 68 | #33,341 |
| 2010 | modern | 67 | #33,713 |
| 2011 | modern | 65 | #33,842 |
| 2012 | modern | 56 | #34,510 |
| 2013 | modern | 60 | #34,378 |
| 2014 | modern | 67 | #33,959 |
| 2015 | modern | 63 | #34,178 |
| 2016 | modern | 61 | #34,287 |
Geography
Back to topHistorical parish links are strongest around -, St Mary Whitechapel, Cromdale, Inverallan and Advie, Edinburgh and Liverpool. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.
The modern local-area list points to No data. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.
| Rank | Parish | Area |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | - | City Of London |
| 2 | St Mary Whitechapel | London (East Districts) |
| 3 | Cromdale, Inverallan and Advie | Elgin |
| 4 | Edinburgh | Edinburgh |
| 5 | Liverpool | Lancashire |
| Rank | Area | District |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | No data | No data |
Forenames
Back to topThese lists show first names that appear often with the Greenstein surname in historical and recent records.
Recent female names
Recent male names
Modern profile
Back to topModern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Greenstein, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.
These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.
The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.
UK neighbourhood type
Supergroup
No data
Group
No data
Nationally, the Greenstein surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as No data, within No data. This does not mean every Greenstein household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.
London neighbourhood type
Supergroup
No data
Group
No data
Within London, Greenstein is most associated with areas classed as No data, part of No data. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.
Broadband speed
The modern neighbourhood pattern for Greenstein is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of No data.
Area snapshot
This describes the area pattern most associated with Greenstein, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.
Origin
Back to topThe surname "Greenstein" is of Ashkenazi Jewish origin, derived from the German words "grün" meaning "green" and "stein" meaning "stone." It is believed to have originated in the 13th or 14th century as a descriptive name for someone who lived near a green or grassy area with rocks or stones.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Jewish community records of Frankfurt am Main, Germany, where a "Leib Greenstein" is mentioned in the late 16th century. The name also appears in various other German and Polish Jewish communities throughout the 17th and 18th centuries.
In the late 18th century, a notable bearer of the name was Hayim Samuel Jacob Greenstein (1753-1827), a renowned Talmudic scholar and author who lived in Rzeszów, Poland. Another early figure was Jehiel Greenstein (1775-1842), a prominent rabbi and author from Vilnius, Lithuania.
The name "Greenstein" can be found in various historical records, including the Pinkas (community records) of the Jewish communities in Frankfurt, Krakow, and Lviv, among others. It is also mentioned in several old manuscripts and works of literature from the 16th to 19th centuries.
In the 19th century, some notable individuals with the surname include: - Moshe Greenstein (1819-1898), a prominent rabbi and author from Berdichev, Ukraine. - Judah Leib Greenstein (1853-1935), a renowned Talmudic scholar and author from Vilna, Lithuania.
In the 20th century, one of the most well-known bearers of the name was Edward Greenstein (1928-2010), an American Judaic scholar and linguist who made significant contributions to the study of Biblical Hebrew and Semitic languages.
Overall, the surname "Greenstein" has a rich history rooted in the Jewish communities of Central and Eastern Europe, where it originated as a descriptive name and was later adopted as a hereditary surname.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
FAQ
The latest modern count shown here is 61 in 2016. That gives Greenstein a modern rank of #34,287.
A Jewish surname derived from the Yiddish words "grin" (green) and "shtein" (stone), likely referring to a green gemstone.
The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Greenstein bearers relative to the surrounding population.
The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.