2000
#147,095
National surname rank
First available Census row
An Italian surname denoting someone of Spanish descent or origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Spagnolia. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Spagnolia 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Spagnolia in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Spagnolia, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Black (1.7%).
Origin
The surname Spagnolia originated in Italy, with roots dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Italian word "Spagnolo," which means "Spanish," suggesting that the name was likely given to someone who had ties to Spain or Spanish ancestry.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Spagnolia can be found in historical documents from the 13th century in the regions of Tuscany and Lombardy. During this time, the surname may have been spelled in various ways, such as Spagnolio, Spagnuolo, or Spagniolus, reflecting the linguistic variations of the era.
One notable example of the Spagnolia name appears in the historical records of the city of Florence in the 14th century. A merchant named Giacomo Spagnolia is mentioned in a document from 1357, indicating his involvement in the thriving trade industry of the time.
In the 15th century, the name Spagnolia can be found in the records of the city of Milan. A nobleman named Giovanni Spagnolia is documented as owning several estates in the surrounding areas, demonstrating the family's prominence and influence during the Renaissance period.
Throughout history, several individuals with the surname Spagnolia have achieved notable recognition:
1. Pietro Spagnolia (1502-1572) was a renowned artist and sculptor from Rome, known for his intricate marble works and architectural contributions to the city's churches and palaces.
2. Lucrezia Spagnolia (1560-1623) was a celebrated poet and writer from Venice, whose works explored themes of love, nature, and the human experience.
3. Antonio Spagnolia (1647-1711) was a highly respected lawyer and jurist from Naples, who served as a judge in the city's court system and authored several influential legal texts.
4. Elisabetta Spagnolia (1725-1802) was a prominent figure in the Italian Enlightenment movement, known for her philosophical writings and advocacy for women's education.
5. Claudio Spagnolia (1890-1964) was a renowned composer and conductor from Milan, whose works were widely performed and celebrated throughout Italy and Europe.
While the Spagnolia surname may have originated from a connection to Spain, it has since become deeply rooted in Italian history and culture, with numerous individuals bearing the name leaving their mark across various fields and disciplines.
Demographics
Among Census respondents with the surname Spagnolia, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Black (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Spagnolia 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 Spagnolia surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
Timeline
Spagnolia 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.
2000
National surname rank
First available Census row
2010
National surname rank
+16 bearers (+15.5%)
2020
National surname rank
-2 bearers (-1.7%)
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #147,095 | 103 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | +16 bearers (+15.5%) | Up 6,938 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 4,113 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
How has the Spagnolia surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #140,157 | #144,270 | -2.9% |
| Count | 119 | 117 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Spagnolia bearers went from 119 to 117 (-1.7% change). The surname moved down 4,113 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #144,270.
FAQ
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Spagnolia. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
Spagnolia ranks #144,270 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.
The raw 2020 Census file counted 117 people with the surname Spagnolia. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
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 Spagnolia.
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Spagnolia went from 119 recorded bearers to 117. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #144,270.
Among Census respondents with the surname Spagnolia, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Black (1.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Spagnolia in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (107 people in the source table).
Spagnolia appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Hispanic (3.4%), Black (1.7%). 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.
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 Spagnolia (2000, 2010, 2020).
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.
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.
An Italian surname denoting someone of Spanish descent or origin. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
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.
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 Spagnolia (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.
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.