2000
#1,761
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,653
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.91
Uncommon Last name
Spangler
A surname of German origin referring to a maker of buckles, clasps, or other fasteners.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 19,943 Americans carry the last name Spangler. That puts it at #2,031 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 17,187 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Spangler 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
20K
1 in 17,187
Census rank
#2,031
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
17K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 17,391 bearers of the surname Spangler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2031st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Spangler, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Spangler
The surname Spangler is believed to have originated in Germany, where it was derived from the Middle High German word "spangen," meaning "to clasp" or "to buckle." This word was likely used as an occupational name for a maker of clasps, buckles, or other metalwork.
The earliest recorded instances of the Spangler surname can be found in German records dating back to the 13th century. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Johannes Spangler, who was mentioned in a document from the city of Nuremberg in 1285.
During the Middle Ages, the Spangler surname was particularly prevalent in the regions of Bavaria and Franconia, where metalworking and craftsmanship were thriving industries. The name may have also been associated with certain place names, such as Spangenberg or Spangen, which could have contributed to its widespread use.
In the 16th century, the Spangler surname gained prominence with the birth of Cyriakus Spangenberg (1528-1604), a German theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation. Another notable figure was Gottlieb Spangenberg (1784-1833), a German botanist and explorer who contributed to the study of flora in South America.
As the Spangler family spread across Europe, the name underwent various spelling variations, including Spängler, Spengler, and Spengler. In the Netherlands, the Dutch variant Spengler emerged, while in England, the surname was anglicized to Spangler or Spanglar.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Spangler surname in England can be found in the parish records of St. Botolph's Church in Aldgate, London, where a Thomas Spangler was baptized in 1598. Later, in the 18th century, Johann Michael Spangler (1701-1756), a German immigrant to Pennsylvania, became a prominent figure in the early history of the United States, serving as a member of the Pennsylvania Assembly.
Throughout history, several other notable individuals have borne the Spangler surname, including Ernst Spangler (1801-1859), a German-American architect and civil engineer who designed several notable buildings in New York City, and David Spangler (born 1945), an American author and philosopher known for his work in the field of metaphysics and spirituality.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Spangler
Among Census respondents with the surname Spangler, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Spangler 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 Spangler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 15,967
- Two or more races3.5% · 616
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 472
- Black or African American1.0% · 169
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 114
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 53
Timeline
Historical Census data for Spangler
Spangler 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
#1,940
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,622
-31 bearers (-0.2%)
Per 100,000 6.31
Rank movement Down 179 places
2020
#2,031
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,391
-1,231 bearers (-6.6%)
Per 100,000 5.82
Rank movement Down 91 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,761 | 18,653 | 6.91 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,940 | 18,622 | 6.31 | -31 bearers (-0.2%) | Down 179 places |
| 2020 | #2,031 | 17,391 | 5.82 | -1,231 bearers (-6.6%) | Down 91 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 Spangler 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 | #1,940 | #2,031 | -4.7% |
| Count | 18,622 | 17,391 | -6.6% |
| Per 100K | 6.31 | 5.82 | -7.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Spangler bearers went from 18,622 to 17,391 (-6.6% change). The surname moved down 91 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,940 to #2,031.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Spangler
FAQ
Spangler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Spangler?
Name Census estimates that about 19,943 living Americans carry the surname Spangler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 17,187 residents.
How common is Spangler?
Spangler ranks #2,031 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.82 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 17,391 people with the surname Spangler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (19,943), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.82 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Spangler.
Has Spangler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Spangler went from 18,622 recorded bearers to 17,391. That is a decrease of 1,231 (-6.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,940 to #2,031.
What does the Census say about the background of Spangler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Spangler, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Spangler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (15,967 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Spangler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Spangler (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 Spangler mean?
A surname of German origin referring to a maker of buckles, clasps, or other fasteners. 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 Spangler (5.82 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 Americans have the surname Spangler?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.