2010
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Spading
An occupational surname referring to someone who used a spade or dug for a living.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Spading. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Spading surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Spading in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Spading, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Spading
The surname Spading has its origins in medieval Germany, with records dating back to the 13th century. The name is believed to be derived from the Old High German word "spado," which means a spade or shovel, suggesting that early bearers of this surname were likely involved in occupations related to digging or farming.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Spading can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from the Kingdom of Saxony, where a certain Heinrich Spading is mentioned in a land transaction dated 1287. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region by that time.
The Spading surname also appears in the Bürgermeisterbuch, a record of citizens and landowners in the city of Nuremberg, dating back to the 14th century. In 1342, a Johannes Spading is listed as a resident of the city, indicating the name's presence in urban areas as well.
During the 15th century, the Spading name gained prominence in the region of Franconia, which was part of the Holy Roman Empire. Notable individuals from this period include Friedrich Spading, a respected scholar and theologian born in Würzburg in 1457, and Hans Spading, a renowned artist and woodcarver active in Bamberg around the same time.
As the Spading family spread throughout Germany and neighboring regions, variations in spelling emerged, such as Spading, Spading, and Späding. In the 16th century, a branch of the family settled in the Duchy of Prussia, where they became influential landowners. One prominent figure from this era was Dietrich von Spading, a military commander who fought in the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648).
The Spading surname also found its way to other parts of Europe, including the Netherlands and England. In the 17th century, a Dutch merchant named Pieter Spading established a successful trading company in Amsterdam, while in England, a family of Spadings settled in the county of Yorkshire, where they became prominent landowners and members of the gentry.
Throughout the centuries, the Spading name has been associated with various professions, including farming, mining, artisanry, academia, and military service. Notable individuals bearing this surname include Johann Spading (1625-1692), a German mathematician and astronomer, and Wilhelm Spading (1786-1863), a Prussian general who fought in the Napoleonic Wars.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Spading
Among Census respondents with the surname Spading, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Spading bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Spading surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.4% · 96
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.9% · 3
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Spading
Spading appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
+3 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,443 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.9%) | Up 5,443 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Spading surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #158,432 | #152,989 | 3.4% |
| Count | 102 | 105 | 2.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 17.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Spading bearers went from 102 to 105 (+2.9% change). The surname moved up 5,443 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #152,989.
FAQ
Spading surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Spading?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Spading. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Spading?
Spading ranks #152,989 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 105 people with the surname Spading. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Spading.
Has Spading become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Spading went from 102 recorded bearers to 105. That is an increase of 3 (+2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Spading?
Among Census respondents with the surname Spading, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Spading in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.4% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Spading appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.4%), Hispanic (2.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Spading (2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Spading mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone who used a spade or dug for a living. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Spading (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Spading?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.