2000
#9,978
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,984
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.11
Rare Last name
Spahr
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "spāre," referring to a maker of spars or beams.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,186 Americans carry the last name Spahr. That puts it at #10,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.93 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 107,581 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Spahr 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
3.2K
1 in 107,581
Census rank
#10,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,778 bearers of the surname Spahr in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.93 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Spahr, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Spahr
The surname Spahr is of German origin, derived from the German word "Spar" meaning "wood" or "timber." It is believed to have originated in the early 13th century in the region of Bavaria, where many families were involved in the timber trade or worked as foresters or woodsmen.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Spahr can be found in a document from the city of Nuremberg, dated 1327, which refers to a person named Hans Spahr, who was a carpenter by trade. This suggests that the name was already established by that time and was associated with occupations related to woodworking.
In the 15th century, the name Spahr appeared in various records across southern Germany, including the town of Augsburg, where a family by the name of Spahr was recorded as owning a sawmill. This further reinforces the connection between the name and the timber industry.
As the Spahr family spread across other parts of Germany, the name also underwent variations in spelling, such as Spaar, Spar, and Spahr. One notable figure from this period was Johann Spahr (1498-1566), a Lutheran theologian and reformer who was born in Nuremberg and played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation.
In the 17th century, the Spahr surname began to appear in records in Switzerland, particularly in the canton of Bern, where many German immigrants had settled. One prominent figure from this time was Johann Jakob Spahr (1619-1690), a Swiss Reformed theologian and author who served as a pastor in Bern.
As the Spahr family continued to spread across Europe, they left their mark in various places. In the 18th century, a Johann Spahr (1715-1788) was a notable painter and engraver from Nuremberg, known for his landscapes and architectural drawings. Another notable figure was Johann Christoph Friedrich Spahr (1768-1838), a German philosopher and writer who lived in Berlin and published several works on ethics and aesthetics.
In the 19th century, the Spahr surname gained prominence in the United States, where many German and Swiss immigrants had settled. One notable figure from this period was Charles B. Spahr (1860-1904), an American lawyer and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois.
Overall, the surname Spahr has a rich history dating back to the Middle Ages in Germany, where it was closely associated with the timber industry and woodworking professions. Over the centuries, it has spread across Europe and beyond, with various notable figures bearing this name in fields such as theology, art, philosophy, and politics.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Spahr
Among Census respondents with the surname Spahr, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Spahr 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 Spahr surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.6% · 2,516
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 105
- Two or more races3.8% · 105
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 23
- Black or African American0.6% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Spahr
Spahr 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
#10,692
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,989
+5 bearers (+0.2%)
Per 100,000 1.01
Rank movement Down 714 places
2020
#10,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,778
-211 bearers (-7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.93
Rank movement Down 262 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,978 | 2,984 | 1.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,692 | 2,989 | 1.01 | +5 bearers (+0.2%) | Down 714 places |
| 2020 | #10,954 | 2,778 | 0.93 | -211 bearers (-7.1%) | Down 262 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 Spahr 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 | #10,692 | #10,954 | -2.5% |
| Count | 2,989 | 2,778 | -7.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.01 | 0.93 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Spahr bearers went from 2,989 to 2,778 (-7.1% change). The surname moved down 262 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,692 to #10,954.
FAQ
Spahr surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Spahr?
Name Census estimates that about 3,186 living Americans carry the surname Spahr. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 107,581 residents.
How common is Spahr?
Spahr ranks #10,954 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.93 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,778 people with the surname Spahr. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,186), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.93 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.93 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Spahr.
Has Spahr become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Spahr went from 2,989 recorded bearers to 2,778. That is a decrease of 211 (-7.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,692 to #10,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Spahr?
Among Census respondents with the surname Spahr, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Spahr in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.6% (2,516 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Spahr appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.6%), Hispanic (3.8%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Spahr (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 Spahr mean?
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "spāre," referring to a maker of spars or beams. 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 Spahr (0.93 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 Spahr?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.