It was named by Dr. Bus in honor of Joseph I. Goldstein, who was a professor of materials science at the time, in honor of Dr. Goldstein's contributions to the understanding of outer-space materials.
His research into the nature of outer-space materials led to the naming of an asteroid after him in 2000, 4989 Joegoldstein.
The asteroid 4989 Joegoldstein was named after Goldstein in 2000 by Schelte J. Bus, who had discovered the asteroid in 1981 at the Anglo-Australian Telescope.