Spalinger last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Spalinger is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Spalinger.

Meaning of Spalinger

A surname derived from a location in Basel, Switzerland.

Spalinger, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Spalinger surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Spalinger in America

Spalinger is the 103655th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Spalinger surname appeared 173 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Spalinger.

We can also compare 2010 data for Spalinger to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

20102000Change (%)
Rank1036558808316.24%
Count173196-12.47%
Proportion per 100k0.060.07-15.38%

The history of the last name Spalinger

The surname Spalinger is of German origin, originating from the region of Swabia in southwestern Germany. It is believed to have arisen in the 14th or 15th century. The name is derived from the German word "Spalinger," which referred to a person who lived near or was associated with a monastery or religious community known as a "Spalinge."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Spalinger surname can be found in a document from the city of Ulm, dated 1397, which mentions a certain "Hans Spalinger." This suggests that the name was already in use by the late Middle Ages. Variations in spelling, such as "Spalinger," "Spallingere," and "Spalinge," can be found in historical records from different regions of Germany.

In the 16th century, the Spalinger name appears in several records related to the Protestant Reformation. For example, a certain Georg Spalinger (1484-1552) was a Lutheran reformer and theologian who worked closely with Martin Luther and played a significant role in the spread of Protestantism in Germany.

Another notable figure with the Spalinger surname was Johann Spalinger (1604-1672), a Swiss-German painter and engraver who was active in the 17th century. His works included portraits, religious scenes, and landscapes, and he is considered one of the most important artists of the Baroque period in Switzerland.

In the 18th century, the Spalinger name appears in connection with several place names in Germany and Switzerland. For instance, there is a town called Spalingen in the Swiss canton of Aargau, which may have derived its name from the Spalinger surname or vice versa.

Other individuals of historical significance with the Spalinger surname include:

  1. Philipp Spalinger (1809-1887), a Swiss politician and lawyer who served as the President of the Swiss National Council in 1867.
  2. Eduard Spalinger (1809-1876), a German architect and engineer who designed several notable buildings in Cologne, including the Cologne Cathedral's western façade.
  3. Anna Spalinger (1919-2014), a Swiss artist known for her abstract expressionist paintings and sculptures.
  4. Karl Spalinger (1920-1994), a German-American mathematician and computer scientist who made significant contributions to the field of numerical analysis.
  5. Heinrich Spalinger (1716-1786), a Swiss theologian and philosopher who wrote extensively on natural law and moral philosophy.

While the Spalinger surname has its roots in Germany and Switzerland, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and intermarriage. However, its origins can be traced back to the medieval period in the German-speaking regions of Europe.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Spalinger

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Spalinger.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Spalinger was:

Race/EthnicityPercentageTotal Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only97.69%169
Non-Hispanic Black Only0.00%0
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only0.00%0
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races(S)%(S)
Hispanic Origin(S)%(S)

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Spalinger has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

20102000Change (%)
White97.69%94.90%2.90%
Black0.00%0.00%0.00%
Asian and Pacific Islander0.00%0.00%0.00%
American Indian and Alaskan Native(S)%(S)%(S)%
Two or More Races(S)%(S)%(S)%
Hispanic(S)%(S)%(S)%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Spalinger was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Spalinger, please contact us.

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