Birnbaum (German for pear tree) is a German, Ashkenazi Jewish surname. Notable people with the surname include:
Alfred Birnbaum (born 1955), American translatorAllan Birnbaum, statisticianAmy Birnbaum, voice actressDaniel Birnbaum, curatorDara Birnbaum, feminist video artistDavid Birnbaum, Canadian politicianFrank Birnbaum, cantorHeinrich Birnbaum, monkJacob Birnbaum, human rights activistJeffrey Birnbaum, columnistJeremiah Birnbaum, singer/songwriterHenrik Birnbaum (1925–2002), American linguist and SlavistKarl Birnbaum (1878–1950), German neurologistLinda Birnbaum, toxicologist and director of the National Institute for Environmental Health SciencesMenachem Birnbaum, book illustrator and portrait painterNathan Birnbaum, Jewish philosopherNorman Birnbaum (born 1926), American sociologistMorton Birnbaum (1926–2005), American physicianPhilip Birnbaum, translator of Jewish prayer bookRoger Birnbaum (born 1950), American film producerSolomon Birnbaum, Yiddish linguist and son of Nathan BirnbaumStephen Birnbaum (1937–1991), travel writer and editorSteve Birnbaum (born 1991), Major League Soccer playerUriel Birnbaum, painter, caricaturist, writer and poetYaakov (Jacob) Birnbaum, human rights activistZygmunt Wilhelm Birnbaum, mathematician and statisticianGeorge Burns (born Nathan Birnbaum)