Find out how popular the last name Federspiel is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Federspiel.

Federspiel, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Federspiel surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Federspiel in America

Federspiel is the 30277th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Federspiel surname appeared 773 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Federspiel.

We can also compare 2010 data for Federspiel to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Federspiel

The surname FEDERSPIEL is of German origin, originating in the Middle Ages. It is a compound name derived from the German words "feder" meaning feather and "spiel" meaning play or game.

One theory suggests the name may have been given to a jester or entertainer who used feathers in their performances or costumes. Another possibility is that it referred to someone who made or sold feathers or feather products such as quills for writing.

The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 14th century in Bavaria and other regions of southern Germany. Variations in spelling included Federspil, Federspiel, and Federschpiel.

In 1456, a document from the town of Augsburg mentions a "Hans Federspiel" who was a merchant and landowner. Another early reference is found in the records of the University of Heidelberg, where a student named "Georgius Federspiel" was enrolled in 1487.

During the Renaissance period, a notable figure with this surname was Sebastian Federspiel (1556-1621), a German composer and organist who served at the court of the Dukes of Bavaria.

In the 18th century, Johann Federspiel (1714-1788) was a famous clockmaker and inventor from the Black Forest region. His intricate wooden clocks were highly prized and can be found in museums today.

Another individual of note was Friedrich Federspiel (1839-1909), a German political activist and writer who advocated for workers' rights and social reform.

Other bearers of this surname include the artist Gertrud Federspiel (1905-1995), known for her expressionist paintings and woodcuts, and Jürg Federspiel (1929-2008), a Swiss diplomat who served as the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.

While not as widespread as some German surnames, FEDERSPIEL maintains its roots in southern Germany and has been carried by notable figures throughout history, reflecting its unique origin and meaning related to feathers and entertainment.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Federspiel

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Federspiel.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Federspiel was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Federspiel has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Federspiel was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Federspiel, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!