2010
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Spaner
A German surname derived from the word "Spanner" meaning carpenter or woodworker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Spaner. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Spaner 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Spaner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Spaner, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Black (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Spaner
The surname Spaner is of German origin, with roots dating back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the German word "spannen," which means "to stretch" or "to span." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who worked with ropes, cables, or spanned distances, such as a builder or surveyor.
The earliest known records of the Spaner name can be traced back to the late 14th century in various regions of Germany, particularly in the southern and central regions. One of the earliest documented individuals with this surname was Johannes Spaner, a landowner and farmer who lived in the village of Rüsselsheim, near Frankfurt, in the 1380s.
During the 15th and 16th centuries, the Spaner name appeared in numerous municipal records and church registers across various German states. For instance, Hans Spaner, a merchant from Nuremberg, was mentioned in a trade document dated 1472. Additionally, a farmer named Peter Spaner was recorded in the village of Langenselbold, near Hanau, in 1523.
In the 17th century, the Spaner family gained prominence in the city of Leipzig, where several members held respected positions. One notable figure was Johann Spaner (1618-1672), a Lutheran theologian and professor at the University of Leipzig. He was known for his influential works on theology and his efforts in promoting pietism, a movement within Lutheranism that emphasized personal piety and moral living.
Another notable Spaner was Friedrich Spaner (1717-1787), a German jurist and legal scholar from Saxony. He served as a judge in the High Court of Appeal in Dresden and authored several treatises on German legal codes and jurisprudence.
In the 19th century, the Spaner name gained recognition in the field of architecture. One of the most prominent figures was August Spaner (1805-1884), a German architect from Berlin. He designed several notable buildings, including the Friedrichswerder Church and the Old Palace in Berlin.
Other historical figures with the Spaner surname include Karl Spaner (1872-1957), a German businessman and industrialist who founded the Spaner-Werke, a successful manufacturing company in Berlin, and Wilhelm Spaner (1890-1963), a German painter and printmaker known for his landscape and architectural depictions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Spaner
Among Census respondents with the surname Spaner, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Black (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Spaner 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 Spaner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino5.8% · 6
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Spaner
Spaner 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
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-13 bearers (-11.2%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 11,033 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -13 bearers (-11.2%) | Down 11,033 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 Spaner 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 | #143,149 | #154,182 | -7.7% |
| Count | 116 | 103 | -11.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Spaner bearers went from 116 to 103 (-11.2% change). The surname moved down 11,033 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #154,182.
FAQ
Spaner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Spaner?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Spaner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Spaner?
Spaner ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 103 people with the surname Spaner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Spaner.
Has Spaner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Spaner went from 116 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 13 (-11.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Spaner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Spaner, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Black (1.0%). 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 Spaner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Spaner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Hispanic (5.8%), Black (1.0%). 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 Spaner (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 Spaner mean?
A German surname derived from the word "Spanner" meaning carpenter or woodworker. 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 Spaner (0.03 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 have the last name Spaner?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Spaner at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.