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

Spaeth, 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 Spaeth surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Spaeth in America

Spaeth is the 9527th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Spaeth surname appeared 3,412 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Spaeth.

We can also compare 2010 data for Spaeth 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 Spaeth

The surname Spaeth is of German origin and dates back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Middle High German word "spat", which means "late" or "after". The name was likely given as a nickname to someone who was born late or who arrived late to an event or gathering.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Spaeth appear in various German records from the 13th and 14th centuries. In the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a document dated 1285 mentions a certain "Henricus Spat" from Saxony. Another early reference is found in the Bremisches Urkundenbuch from 1312, which lists a "Hinricus dictus Spat" from the city of Bremen.

The name Spaeth was particularly common in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony, where it was often associated with certain place names. For example, the town of Spätlautern in Rhineland-Palatinate is believed to have derived its name from the Spaeth family who lived there.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Johann Spaeth (c. 1430-1490), a German printer and bookseller from Nuremberg. He is credited with introducing the printing press to the city and publishing several important works during the Renaissance.

Another notable figure was Johann Philipp Spaeth (1714-1784), a German jurist and legal scholar from Augsburg. He served as a professor of law at the University of Altdorf and wrote several influential treatises on German civil law.

In the 19th century, Johann Baptist Spaeth (1840-1920) was a prominent German-American Catholic priest and author. Born in Bavaria, he emigrated to the United States and served as a parish priest in Ohio before becoming a professor of philosophy and theology at various seminaries.

Other historical figures with the surname Spaeth include Friedrich Wilhelm Spaeth (1799-1875), a German composer and organist from Thuringia, and Carl Spaeth (1890-1954), an Austrian artist and painter known for his landscapes and portraits.

While the name Spaeth has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of Europe and the world through migration and immigration. However, its historical origins and significance can be traced back to the Middle Ages and the cultural traditions of the German people.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Spaeth

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

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 Spaeth 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 Spaeth 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 Spaeth was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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