2000
#134,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Spaethe
A variant spelling of the German occupational surname for a digger or spade maker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Spaethe. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Spaethe 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Spaethe in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Spaethe, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Spaethe
The surname Spaethe is believed to have originated in Germany, likely in the 16th or 17th century. It is thought to be derived from the German word "spät," which means "late." This suggests that the name may have initially been given as a descriptive nickname to someone who was habitually late or tardy.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Spaethe name can be found in the church records of the town of Siegen, located in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. These records include the birth of a child named Hans Spaethe in 1612. It is possible that the name had existed in this region for some time before this documented instance.
In the 18th century, several individuals with the surname Spaethe were mentioned in various historical documents. For example, Johann Spaethe, a merchant and landowner from the town of Kassel, was mentioned in property deeds dated 1732. Additionally, a farmer named Heinrich Spaethe was recorded in the tax records of the nearby village of Oberhausen in 1765.
As the centuries progressed, the Spaethe name began to spread beyond its initial region of origin. In the early 19th century, a man named Wilhelm Spaethe (1790-1856) became a prominent figure in the city of Frankfurt. He was a successful businessman and served as a city councilor for several years.
Another notable individual with the Spaethe surname was Karl Spaethe (1867-1942), a German composer and music teacher who lived and worked in the city of Leipzig. His compositions, primarily for piano and chamber ensembles, were well-regarded during his lifetime.
While the Spaethe name has its roots in Germany, it has also been present in other parts of Europe and beyond. For instance, in the late 19th century, a family named Spaethe settled in the United States, establishing themselves in the state of Pennsylvania. One member of this family, John Spaethe (1871-1936), became a respected educator and served as the principal of a local high school.
Throughout its history, the surname Spaethe has been spelled in various ways, including Spaethe, Späthe, Spaeth, and Spaedt. These variations reflect the regional dialects and linguistic influences of the areas where the name was present.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Spaethe
Among Census respondents with the surname Spaethe, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Spaethe 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 Spaethe surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.6% · 103
- Hispanic or Latino5.5% · 6
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Spaethe
Spaethe appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-5 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,466 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 51 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,929 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 14,466 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 51 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 Spaethe 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 | #149,395 | #149,446 | -0.0% |
| Count | 110 | 110 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Spaethe bearers went from 110 to 110 (+0.0% change). The surname moved down 51 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #149,446.
FAQ
Spaethe surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Spaethe?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Spaethe. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Spaethe?
Spaethe ranks #149,446 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 110 people with the surname Spaethe. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), 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 Spaethe.
Has Spaethe become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Spaethe went from 110 recorded bearers to 110. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #149,395 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Spaethe?
Among Census respondents with the surname Spaethe, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Spaethe in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Spaethe appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.6%), Hispanic (5.5%), Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Spaethe (2000, 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 Spaethe mean?
A variant spelling of the German occupational surname for a digger or spade maker. 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 Spaethe (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 people share the surname Spaethe?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.