as a type-name for a genius, 1920, in reference to German-born theoretical physicist Albert Einstein (1879-1955). According to "German-American Names" (George F. Jones, 3rd ed., 2006) it means literally "place encompassed by a stone wall."
Einstein Ein·stein (īn'stīn'), Albert. 1879-1955.
German-born American theoretical physicist whose special and general theories of relativity revolutionized modern thought on the nature of space and time and formed a theoretical base for the exploitation of atomic energy. He won a Nobel Prize in 1921 for his explanation of the photoelectric effect.