Explore the Family Name Springsteen

The meaning of Springsteen

1. Dutch: from springsteen, a kind of stone used as a stepping stone in unpaved streets, possibly applied as a nickname for a stonecutter. This surname, which could alternatively be of North German origin (see 2 below), is no longer found in the Netherlands. 2. Americanized form of North German Springstein, a cognate of 1 above. History: The majority of the Springsteens, including Bruce Springsteen, American singer, songwriter, and musician, are descendants of one or another of the two sons (named Joost and Melchior/Melcher) of Casper Springsteen or Springsteyn from Groningen, the Netherlands, who immigrated with their mother to New Netherland (now NY) in 1652 and had male descendants. Casper Springsteen may have been of German extraction.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Springsteen in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Springsteen has seen a slight decrease in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it ranked 21,958 in popularity, but by 2010 it had slipped to rank 22,516, marking a 2.54% decrease. Despite the drop in rank, the actual count of individuals with the surname increased from 1,101 in 2000 to 1,142 in 2010, showing a growth of 3.72%. However, the proportion per 100k people saw a reduction of 4.88%, moving from 0.41 to 0.39.

20002010Change
Rank#21,958#22,516-2.54%
Count1,1011,1423.72%
Proportion per 100k0.410.39-4.88%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Springsteen

When looking at the ethnicity breakdown for the surname Springsteen, as provided by the Decennial U.S. Census, there have been some notable shifts over a decade. The largest ethnic identity group remains those identifying as White, though it decreased slightly from 91.55% in 2000 to 89.32% in 2010. Hispanic representation increased drastically from 0.64% to 2.54%, representing a 296.88% change. The Black community also saw an increase, going from 3.91% to 4.12%. Those identifying as two or more races saw a minor increase from 2.63% to 2.80%, while the Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian and Alaskan Native categories both dropped to zero by 2010.

20002010Change
White91.55%89.32%-2.44%
Black3.91%4.12%5.37%
Two or More Races2.63%2.8%6.46%
Hispanic0.64%2.54%296.88%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.73%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.54%0%0%