The surname Epstein () is one of the oldest

Ashkenazi Jewish Ashkenazi Jews ( ; also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim) form a distinct subgroup of the Jewish diaspora, that Ethnogenesis, emerged in the Holy Roman Empire around the end of the first millennium Common era, CE. They traditionally spe ...

family name In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full name of a person, although several give ...

s. It is probably derived from the German town of

Eppstein Eppstein is a town in the Main-Taunus-Kreis, in Hesse, Germany. Eppstein lies west of Frankfurt am Main, around 12 km north east of the state capital Wiesbaden, and is at the edge of the Taunus mountains. The ruins of the Eppstein castle is ...

, in

Hesse Hesse or Hessen ( ), officially the State of Hesse (), is a States of Germany, state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt, which is also the country's principal financial centre. Two other major hist ...

; the place-name was probably derived from

Gaulish Gaulish is an extinct Celtic languages, Celtic language spoken in parts of Continental Europe before and during the period of the Roman Empire. In the narrow sense, Gaulish was the language of the Celts of Gaul (now France, Luxembourg, Belgium, ...

''apa'' ("water", in the sense of a river) and German '' -stein'' ("stone", in the sense of a hill). Some people with this name include:

Arts

* Abby Epstein, American documentary director and producer * Alex Epstein (writer) (born 1963), American Canadian writer and film producer * Alex Epstein (born 1971), Israeli writer * Alvin Epstein (1925–2018), American actor and director * Asaf Epstein (born 1978), Israeli film director, writer, and producer * Barbara Epstein (1928–2006), American literary editor * Benita Epstein, American cartoonist * Brett Epstein (born 1978), American musician, songwriter, and record producer *

Brian Epstein Brian Samuel Epstein ( ; 19 September 1934 – 27 August 1967) was an English music entrepreneur who managed the Beatles from 1961 until his death in 1967. Epstein was born into a family of successful retailers in Liverpool, who put hi ...

(1934–1967), businessman, manager of the Beatles * Daniel Epstein (pianist) (born 1946), American pianist * Daniel Mark Epstein (born 1948), American biographer and poet * David Epstein (conductor) (1930–2002), American composer, conductor, and music scientist * Deborah Epstein (born 1984), French-American singer-songwriter more commonly known as SoShy * Dena Epstein (1916–2013), American music librarian, writer, and musicologist * Dorrit Epstein (1917–2014), Czech British graphic designer * Edward Jay Epstein (1935–2024), American author and early critic of the Warren Commission * Elisabeth Epstein (1879–1956), Russian painter * Emily Rose Epstein, American drummer * Freyda Epstein (1956–2003), American folk musician * Gustav von Epstein (1828–1879), commissioned the Palais Epstein. * Győző Epstein (1879–1945), Hungarian sculptor, graphic artist, and painter *

Howie Epstein Howard Norman Epstein (July 21, 1955 – February 23, 2003) was an American musician best known as a bassist with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Early life Epstein was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He grew up in a musical household. Epste ...

(1955–2003), American bass guitarist *

Jacob Epstein Sir Jacob Epstein (10 November 1880 – 21 August 1959) was an American and British sculptor who helped pioneer modern sculpture. He was born in the United States, and moved to Europe in 1902, becoming a British subject in 1910. Early in his ...

(1880–1959), American-British sculptor *

Jacob Epstein (art collector) Jacob Epstein (December 28, 1864 – December 27, 1945) was a Lithuanian-born Jewish-American merchant, philanthropist, and art collector from Baltimore, Maryland. Business ventures Epstein was born on December 28, 1864, in Tauragė, Russian Em ...

(1864–1945), Lithuanian-American merchant, philanthropist, and art collector * Jacob Epstein (writer), American television writer * Jake Epstein (born 1987), Canadian actor *

Jason Epstein Jason Wolkow Epstein (August 25, 1928 – February 4, 2022) was an American editor and publisher. He was the editorial director of Random House from 1976 to 1995. He also co-founded ''The New York Review of Books'' in 1963. Early life and edu ...

(1928–2022), American publisher who popularized the trade paperback * Jean Epstein (1897–1953), French filmmaker * Jennifer Cody Epstein, American novelist * Jerome Epstein (director) (1922–1991), American filmmaker *

Joseph Epstein Joseph Epstein (October 16, 1911 – April 11, 1944), also known as Colonel Gilles and as Joseph Andrej, was a Polish-born Jewish communist activist and a French Resistance leader during World War II. He was executed by the Germans. Commun ...

(born 1937), American editor and essayist * Josh Epstein, Canadian actor, producer and writer * Joshua Epstein (violinist) (born 1940), Israeli musician * Julius Epstein (1832–1926), Croatian pianist * Julius J. Epstein (1909–2000), American Oscar-winning screenwriter, brother of Philip G. Epstein * June Epstein (1918–2004), Australian author, radio broadcaster, musician, and disability advocate * Kalama Epstein (born 2000), American actor * Kathie Lee Epstein (born 1953), maiden name of Kathie Lee Gifford, American television host * Kathleen Epstein (1901–1979), American-British sculptor * Lawrence J. Epstein (born 1946), American author * Leslie Epstein (1938–2025), American novelist and essayist * Marie Epstein (1899–1995), Polish-French actress and film preservationist * Marti Epstein (born 1959), American composer * Mel Epstein (1910–1994), American film director and producer * Michael J. Epstein (born 1976), American filmmaker and musician * Mikhail Epstein (born 1950), Russian-American literary theorist and Emory University professor * Mitch Epstein (born 1952), American photographer * Peter Epstein (born 1967), American jazz saxophonist * Philip G. Epstein (1909–1952), American Oscar-winning screenwriter, brother to Julius J. Epstein * Rob Epstein (born 1955), American director * Robin Epstein, American artist * Sadie Kuttner Epstein (1883–1973), American concert singer * Selma Epstein (1927–2014), American concert pianist * Steven Epstein (music producer), U.S. classical music producer with Sony * Ted Epstein, American drummer * Temi Epstein (born 1975), American child actress * Zale "Zalezy" Epstein, Canadian songwriter and musician

Mathematics

* Bernard Epstein (1920–2005), American mathematician and physicist * Charles Epstein (mathematician), American applied mathematician *

David B. A. Epstein David Bernard Alper Epstein (born 1937) is a mathematician known for his work in hyperbolic geometry, 3-manifolds, and group theory, amongst other fields. He co-founded the University of Warwick mathematics department with Christopher Zeeman a ...

(born 1937), British mathematician * Lenore A. Epstein (1914–1994), American statistician *

Paul Epstein Paul Epstein (July 24, 1871 – August 11, 1939) was a German mathematician. He was known for his contributions to number theory, in particular the Epstein zeta function. Epstein was born and brought up in Frankfurt, where his father was a ...

(1871–1939), German mathematician *

Paul Sophus Epstein Paul Sophus Epstein (; March 20, 1883 – February 8, 1966) was a Russian-American mathematical physicist. He was known for his contributions to fluid dynamics and to the development of quantum mechanics. Early life and studies Paul Eps ...

(1883–1966), American mathematician/physicist of Polish/Russian origin and California Institute of Technology professor. *

Richard Arnold Epstein Richard Arnold Epstein (March 5, 1927 in Los Angeles, California – July 5, 2016), also known under the pseudonym E. P. Stein, was an American game theorist. Education Epstein obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Califor ...

(1927–2016), American mathematician and game theorist

Military

Giora Epstein Brigadier General Giora "Hawkeye" Epstein (; born May 20, 1938), today Giora Even (), is a retired Israeli Air Force (IAF) officer and a fighter ace credited with 17 victories, 16 against Egyptian jets and one against an Egyptian Mi-8 helico ...

(born 1938), "ace of aces" Israeli fighter pilot *

(1911–1944), communist French resistance leader

Religion

Abraham Epstein Abraham Epstein (; born 19 December 1841) was a Russo-Austrian rabbinical scholar born in Staro Constantinov, Volhynia. Epstein diligently studied the works of Isaac Baer Levinsohn, Nachman Krochmal, and S. D. Luzzatto, and when he traveled i ...

(born 1841), Russo-Austrian rabbinical scholar * Aryeh Leib Epstein (1708–1775), Polish rabbi *

Baruch Epstein Baruch Epstein or Baruch ha-Levi Epstein (1860–1941) () was an Ashkenazi Jewish rabbi, best known for his '' Torah Temimah'' commentary on the Torah. He was the son of Rabbi Yechiel Michel Epstein, rabbi of Novarodok and author of the work ...

(1860–1941), Lithuanian rabbi and the son of Yechiel Michel Epstein * Ephraim Epstein (1876–1960), American Orthodox rabbi * Greg Epstein (born 1977), Humanistic rabbi and Chaplain at Harvard University from 2005 *

Isidore Epstein Ezekiel Isidore Epstein (; –) was an English Orthodox rabbi, Jewish studies scholar, and Jewish educator. Epstein edited the first complete English translation of the Babylonian Talmud (the ''Soncino Talmud''), served as the headmaster of ...

(1894–1962), English rabbi and rabbinical scholar * Jehiel Michel Epstein, 17th-century writer and ethicist * Klonimus Kalman Epstein (1753–1825), Polish rabbi, Kabbalist and a leader of the Chassidic movement * Marc Michael Epstein, American religious scholar *

Mendel Epstein The New York divorce coercion gang was a Haredi JewishBandler, Jonathan; Lieberman, Steve (October 10, 2013"FBI Arrests N.Y. Rabbis in Jewish Divorce-gang Probe, ''USA Today''. group who kidnapped, and in some cases tortured, Jewish men in the N ...

, American rabbi and kidnapper, also known as "The Prodfather" * Moshe Mordechai Epstein (1866–1933), rabbi and author of the Levush Mordechai * Moshe Yechiel Epstein (1889–1971), Hasidic rabbi and Israel Prize recipient *

Yechiel Michel Epstein Yechiel Michel ha-Levi Epstein () (24 January 1829 – 25 March 1908), often called "the ''Aruch haShulchan''" after his magnum opus, '' Aruch HaShulchan'', was a Rabbi and ''posek'' (authority in Jewish law) in Lithuania. Biography Yechiel Mi ...

(1829–1908), Lithuanian rabbi and author of the Arukh HaShulkhan * Yitzchak Eizik Epstein (1770–1857), Chabad-Lubavitch rabbi and scholar * Zelik Epstein (1914–2009), Rosh Yeshiva of the Shaar HaTorah-Grodno Yeshiva, located in Kew Gardens, New York

Science and medicine

* Alex Epstein (born 1980), American energy theorist * Alois Epstein (1849–1918), Czech pediatrician * Anthony Epstein (1921–2024), British pathologist and academic * Arnold Epstein, American health scholar * Berthold Epstein (1890–1962), Czech pediatrician and professor * Charles Epstein (geneticist) (1933–2011), American geneticist and Unabomber victim * Claire Epstein (1911–2000), Israeli archaeologist * Edward Epstein (meteorologist) (1931–2008), American developer of statistical weather forecasting * Fred Epstein (1937–2006), American pediatric neurosurgeon * Gerald Epstein (1935–2019), American psychiatrist * Isadore Epstein (1919–1995), American astronomer * Joshua M. Epstein, American epidemiologist * Lenore Epstein (born 1942), birth name of

Lenore Blum Lenore Carol Blum (née Epstein, born December 18, 1942) is an American computer scientist and mathematician who has made contributions to the theories of real number computation, cryptography, and pseudorandom number generation. She was a disti ...

, computer scientist and mathematician * Mark Epstein (born 1953), American psychotherapist * Martha C. Epstein (1927–2003), American geneticist * Sir Michael A. Epstein (1921–2024), British pathologist, discoverer of the Epstein-Barr virus. *

Robert Epstein Robert Epstein (born June 19, 1953) is an American psychologist, professor, author, and journalist. He was awarded a Ph.D. in psychology by Harvard University in 1981, was editor-in-chief of ''Psychology Today'', and has held positions at sever ...

(born 1953), American psychologist * Robert M. Epstein (born 1928), American anesthesiologist * Rose Frisch (Rose Epstein Frisch, 1918–2015), American biologist *

Russell Epstein Russell Epstein is a professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, who studies neural mechanisms underlying visual scene perception, event perception, object recognition, and spatial navigation in humans. His lab studies the role of th ...

, American psychologist * Samuel Epstein (1926–2018), American doctor and professor of environmental medicine *

Samuel Epstein (geochemist) Samuel Epstein (December 9, 1919 – September 17, 2001) was a Canadian- American geochemist who developed methods for reconstructing geologic temperature records using stable isotope geochemistry. He was elected to the United States Nati ...

(1919–2001), Canadian-American geochemist * Slava Epstein, American marine biologist and microbial ecologist * Stephen Epstein (cardiologist), American cardiologist and medical researcher

Sport

* Andrew Epstein (born 1996), American soccer player * Charlotte Epstein (1884–1938), nicknamed "Eppie", American Hall of Fame swimming coach, "Mother of Women's Swimming in America" *

Denis Epstein Denis Epstein (born 2 July 1986) is a German former professional association football, footballer who played as a left winger. Career Youth clubs Epstein played for three youth clubs, ranging from 1995 to 2005, including the youth teams of Baye ...

(born 1986), German football player * Dmitry Epstein (born 1993), Dutch pair skater * Eddie Epstein, baseball statistician * Esther Epstein (born 1954), American chess player * Hayden Epstein (born 1980), American NFL football player * Jan Epstein (1918–1988), Australian cricketer * Kurt Epstein (1904–1975), Czechoslovakian Olympic water polo player *

Mike Epstein Michael Peter Epstein (born April 4, 1943), nicknamed "Super Jew", is an American former professional baseball player for the Baltimore Orioles, Washington Senators / Texas Rangers, Oakland Athletics, and California Angels of Major League Ba ...

, (born 1943), American major league baseball player * Ray Epstein (born 1959), Australian Paralympic weightlifter and powerlifting coach *

Theo Epstein Theo Nathaniel Epstein (born December 29, 1973) is an American Major League Baseball executive who is, since 2024, the senior adviser and part-owner of Fenway Sports Group, which owns the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball and Liverpool FC o ...

(born 1973), American President of Baseball Operations for the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

Politics and law

* Anthony C. Epstein (born 1952), American jurist * Benjamin Epstein (1912–1983), Anti-Defamation League director * Daniel Z. Epstein (born 1983), American lawyer * David G. Epstein, American law professor * Eliahu Epstein (1903–1990), birth name of Eliahu Eilat, Israeli diplomat and President of the

Hebrew University of Jerusalem The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; ) is an Israeli public university, public research university based in Jerusalem. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Chaim Weizmann in July 1918, the public university officially opened on 1 April 1925. ...

* Eric Epstein, American political activist * Gloria Epstein, Canadian judge * Harvey Epstein (born 1967), American politician *

Howard Epstein Howard Michael Epstein (born January 17, 1949) is a Canadian politician, lawyer and part-time law professor. Early life and career Born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, he is an environmentalist, serving as the director of the Ecology Action Centre ...

(born 1949), Canadian politician * Jerome Epstein (politician) (born 1937), American politician and criminal * Lee Epstein (born 1958), American political scientist * Leon Epstein (1919–2006), American political scientist * Leopold Vail Epstein (1910–1991), American attorney and father of

Linda McCartney Linda Louise, Lady McCartney ( Eastman; September 24, 1941 – April 17, 1998) was an American photographer, musician, cookbook author, and activist. She was the keyboardist and harmony vocalist in the band Paul McCartney and Wings, Wings tha ...

* Mitzi Epstein, American politician * Moses J. Epstein ( 1911–1960), American politician * Philip Michael Epstein (born 1942), Canadian family law lawyer *

Richard Epstein Richard Allen Epstein (born April 17, 1943) is an American legal scholar known for his writings on torts, contracts, property rights, law and economics, classical liberalism, and libertarianism. He is the Laurence A. Tisch Professor of Law at Ne ...

(born 1943), American law professor * Samuel Epstein (politician) (1890–1951), American politician, lawyer, and physician * William Epstein (1912–2001), Canadian international civil servant

Other

* Alek Epstein (born 1975), Russian-Israeli sociologist * Alan Epstein (1949–2016), American travel writer * Alan H. Epstein (born 1949), American aeronautical engineer * Betty Halff-Epstein (1905–1991), Swiss entrepreneur and second-wave feminist * Bill Epstein (1924–1999), British social anthropologist *

Cynthia Fuchs Epstein Cynthia Fuchs Epstein is an American sociologist and Distinguished Professor Emerita at the CUNY Graduate Center. Fuchs Epstein served as president of the American Sociological Association in 2006. Education At Columbia University, Fuchs Epstei ...

, American sociologist * David Epstein (Australia) (born 1963), Australian public affairs specialist * David Epstein (gangster), former member of Epstein–Wolmark gang, son of Mendel Epstein * David Epstein (journalist), American journalist * Eleni Epstein (1925–1991), American fashion journalist * Fritz T. Epstein (1898–1979), American historian * Gabriel Epstein (1918–2017), British architect and urban planner *

Gene Epstein Gene Epstein (born 1944) is an American economist. He is best known for his work advancing libertarian principles and promoting free-market policies. He worked as the economics editor of '' Barron's Magazine'' from 1993 to 2018 where he wrote th ...

(born 1944), American economist * Hadassah Spira Epstein (1909–1992), American dancer * Hedy Epstein (1924–2016), Jewish anti-Zionist *

Helen Epstein Helen Epstein (born November 27, 1947) is an American writer of memoir, journalism and biography. Born in Czechoslovakia, she lives in Lexington, Massachusetts, United States. Biography Early life and education Helen Epstein is the daughter of ...

(born 1947), American author and memoirist * Helen Epstein (journalist) (born 1961), American journalist and professor *

Israel Epstein Israel Epstein (; 20 April 1915 – 26 May 2005) was a Polish-born Chinese journalist and author. He was one of the few foreign-born Chinese citizens of non-Chinese origin to become a member of the Chinese Communist Party. Early life and educ ...

(1915–2005), Polish-Chinese journalist * Jacob Epstein (banker) (1771–1843), Polish banker and philanthropist * Jacob Epstein (spy) (1903–1998), American alleged Soviet intelligence agent *

Jeffrey Epstein Jeffrey Edward Epstein ( , ; January 20, 1953August 10, 2019) was an American financier and child sex offender. Born and raised in New York City, Epstein began his professional career as a teacher at the Dalton School, despite lacking a col ...

(1953–2019), American financier and sex offender * Jonathan Epstein, Australian economist * Julius Epstein (writer) (1901–1975), American journalist and scholar * Larry G. Epstein, Canadian economist * Lewis Carroll Epstein, American physics author * Louise Epstein (born 1965), Swedish journalist and author * Mark Epstein (property developer) (born 1954), American property developer and brother of Jeffrey Epstein * Melech Epstein (1889–1979), American journalist and historian *

Nadine Epstein Nadine Epstein an American journalist and author. Career She is the editor-in-chief and CEO of ''Moment (magazine), Moment'' magazine. She also is founder and executive director of the Center for Creative Change. Epstein frequently writes and sp ...

, American journalist and author * Nicky Epstein, American knitting designer and author * Randi Hutter Epstein (born 1962), American medical writer, author and journalist * Ron Epstein (born 1942), American Buddhist scholar and translator * Ruth Wilson Epstein (1906–1996), American nurse and wife of Jacob Epstein (spy) * Simon Epstein (born 1947), Israeli economist and historian * Sorella Epstein (1931–1941), Latvian Holocaust victim * Stephan R. Epstein (1960–2007), British economic historian * Steven Epstein (academic), American sociologist * T. Scarlett Epstein (1922–2014), British-Austrian social anthropologist and economist * Yishaq Epstein (1862–1943), Hebrew linguist and educator

Fictional characters

* Juan Epstein, fictional character on the TV series ''Welcome Back, Kotter'' * Dov Epstein, fictional character on the TV series ''Rookie Blue'' * Solomon Epstein, inventor of the Epstein-Fusion Drive in the novel and TV series ''The Expanse''

Variant surnames

Katja Ebstein Katja Ebstein (born Karin Witkiewicz; 9 March 1945) is a German singer. She was born in Girlachsdorf (now Gniewków, Poland). She achieved success with songs such as "Theater (song), Theater" and "Es war einmal ein Jäger". She was married to , w ...

(born 1945), German singer * Richard Ebstein (born 1943), American behavioral geneticist *

Wilhelm Ebstein Wilhelm Ebstein (27 November 1836, Jauer, Prussian Silesia – 22 October 1912) was a German physician. He proposed a low-carbohydrate high-fat diet to treat obesity. Ebstein's anomaly is named for him. Biography Ebstein was born to a Jewis ...

(1836–1912), German physician and nutritionist *

David Eppstein David Arthur Eppstein (born 1963) is an American computer scientist and mathematician. He is a distinguished professor of computer science at the University of California, Irvine. He is known for his work in computational geometry, graph algor ...

(born 1963), American computer scientist * Margaret J. Eppstein, American complex systems theorist * Nikolay Epshtein (1918–2005), Soviet ice hockey coach * Paul Eppstein (1902–1944), German sociologist and Holocaust victim * Seraphine Eppstein (1861–1942), American clubwoman and hospital administrator *

Shakne Epshtein Shakne Epshtein (1883 in Iwye – 27 July 1945) was a Soviet journalist and the secretary and editor of the Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee ( JAC)'s newspaper, ''Eynikayt'' (Unity). Solomon Mikhoels, the chairman of JAC and Epshtein approached ...

(1883–1945), Soviet journalist * Alex Epshteyn, computer programmer *

Boris Epshteyn Boris Epshteyn ( ; born August 14, 1982) is an American Republican political strategist, attorney, and investment banker. He is, since January 2025, the personal senior counsel to President Donald Trump. He was previously a strategic advisor ...

(born 1982), political commentator

References

{{Surname, Epstein Ashkenazi surnames German-language surnames Yiddish-language surnames Jewish toponymic surnames