Spahn
A German occupational surname referring to a maker or purveyor of wood shavings or chips.
According to the 2010 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,605 Americans carry the last name Spahn. That puts it at #13,569 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 131,576 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Spahn surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, 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
2.6K
1 in 131,576
Census rank
#13,569
2010 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,235 bearers of the surname Spahn in its 2010 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13569th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Spahn, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Black (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Spahn
The surname Spahn is of German origin and dates back to the 16th century. It is derived from the German word "spahn," meaning "a thin strip of wood or splinter." The name likely originated as a descriptive nickname for someone who worked with wood or lived near a wooded area.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Spahn can be found in various German church records and tax registers from the 16th and 17th centuries. One notable example is Johann Spahn, a farmer born in Hesse, Germany, in 1610, whose name appears in the local parish records.
In the 18th century, the name Spahn began to spread beyond its original regions in Germany as people migrated to other parts of Europe and eventually to the Americas. One notable bearer of the name was Johann Philipp Spahn, a German artist born in 1730, who is known for his landscape paintings of the Rhineland region.
The 19th century saw several prominent individuals with the surname Spahn. Christian Spahn, born in 1824 in Prussia, was a German politician and member of the Reichstag, the Imperial Parliament of Germany. In the United States, Peter Spahn, born in 1837 in Bavaria, was a Civil War soldier who fought for the Union Army and was awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery in the Battle of Gettysburg.
In the 20th century, the name Spahn gained recognition with the baseball player Warren Spahn, born in 1921 in Buffalo, New York. He was a left-handed pitcher who played for the Boston Braves and the Milwaukee Braves, and is considered one of the greatest pitchers in Major League Baseball history. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973.
Another notable bearer of the surname Spahn was the German philosopher and political scientist Franz Spahn, born in 1901. He was a prominent figure in the Christian Democratic Union party and served as the first Federal Minister of Finance in West Germany after World War II.
Overall, the surname Spahn has a rich history and has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including farmers, artists, politicians, soldiers, and professional athletes. While its origins can be traced back to Germany, the name has spread globally and continues to be carried by individuals of German descent and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Spahn
Among Census respondents with the surname Spahn, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Black (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Spahn bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2010 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.
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 Spahn surname at the time of the 2010 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.4%
- Hispanic or Latino2.8%
- Black or African American1.8%
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9%
- Two or more races0.8%
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2%
Year on year
2010 vs 2010 Census
How has the Spahn 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 | 2010 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #13,569 | #13,569 | 0.0% |
| Count | 2,235 | 2,235 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.76 | 0.76 | 0.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2010 Census, the number of Spahn bearers went from 2,235 to 2,235 (+0.0% change). The surname held its position in the national ranking, going from #13,569 to #13,569.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Spahn
FAQ
Spahn surname: questions and answers
How common is the last name Spahn?
The surname Spahn holds position #13,569 in the US Census Bureau's surname ranking, with an estimated 2,605 living bearers. It occurs at a rate of 0.76 per 100,000 Americans.
What is the ethnic background of the Spahn surname?
Among Census respondents with the surname Spahn, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Black (1.8%). These figures come from the 2010 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Where does this surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These tables list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2010 Census, along with a frequency rate and self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.