2010
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Spaich
An occupational surname derived from the German word for sparrow or woodpecker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Spaich. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Spaich 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Spaich in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Spaich, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.5%) and Hispanic (7.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Spaich
The surname SPAICH is believed to have originated in the German-speaking regions of Europe, specifically in the areas around modern-day Switzerland and southwestern Germany. It is thought to be derived from the Old High German word "speihha," which means "spoke" or "splinter," potentially referring to an occupation or trade involving woodworking or carpentry.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the SPAICH surname can be found in the 14th century German manuscript "Codex Manesse," a collection of Middle High German poetry. In this document, there is a mention of a "Heinrich Spaich," who was likely a nobleman or landowner from the region.
In the 16th century, the surname SPAICH appeared in various town records and church registers in the Swiss cantons of Basel and Bern, as well as in the German regions of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria. This suggests that the name had spread across these areas during the late medieval and early modern periods.
One notable historical figure bearing the SPAICH surname was Johann Georg Spaich, a German painter and engraver who lived from 1688 to 1761. He was born in Schwäbisch Gmünd, in present-day Baden-Württemberg, and is known for his religious works and portraits.
Another individual of note was Philipp Spaich, a German theologian and philosopher who lived from 1738 to 1806. He served as a professor at the University of Heidelberg and wrote extensively on topics such as ethics and natural law.
In the 19th century, the SPAICH surname can be found in various records related to the German emigration to North America. For instance, a Johann Spaich is recorded as having arrived in Philadelphia in 1846, likely fleeing economic hardship or political unrest in Europe.
One of the earliest known instances of the SPAICH surname in the United States comes from a gravestone in Zion Lutheran Church Cemetery in Oldwick, New Jersey, which bears the name "Johannes Spaich" and is dated 1765.
While the SPAICH surname is relatively uncommon globally, it continues to be found in various regions of Germany, Switzerland, and areas with significant German-speaking populations, reflecting its historical origins and migration patterns.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Spaich
Among Census respondents with the surname Spaich, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.5%) and Hispanic (7.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Spaich 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 Spaich surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.5% · 91
- Two or more races11.5% · 13
- Hispanic or Latino7.1% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Spaich
Spaich appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+11 bearers (+10.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 11,211 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+10.8%) | Up 11,211 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 Spaich 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 | #158,432 | #147,221 | 7.1% |
| Count | 102 | 113 | 10.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 26.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Spaich bearers went from 102 to 113 (+10.8% change). The surname moved up 11,211 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #147,221.
FAQ
Spaich surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Spaich?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Spaich. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Spaich?
Spaich ranks #147,221 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 113 people with the surname Spaich. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), 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 Spaich.
Has Spaich become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Spaich went from 102 recorded bearers to 113. That is an increase of 11 (+10.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Spaich?
Among Census respondents with the surname Spaich, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.5%) and Hispanic (7.1%). 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 Spaich in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.5% (91 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Spaich appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.5%), Two or More Races (11.5%), Hispanic (7.1%). 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 Spaich (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 Spaich mean?
An occupational surname derived from the German word for sparrow or woodpecker. 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 Spaich (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 Spaich?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.