2000
#2,815
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,691
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.33
Uncommon Last name
Spann
Derived from the Old Norse word "spán," meaning a chip or splinter of wood, likely referring to a carpenter.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,574 Americans carry the last name Spann. That puts it at #2,970 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.96 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 25,251 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Spann 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Spann with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
14K
1 in 25,251
Census rank
#2,970
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,837 bearers of the surname Spann in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.96 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2970th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Spann, the largest self-reported group is Black at 51.2%. The next largest groups are White (40.2%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Spann
The surname Spann has its origins in Germany and dates back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old German word "spann," which means "a span" or "a measure of length." The name is thought to have been initially applied as an occupational surname for someone who worked as a measurer or surveyor.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Spann can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from the German state of Saxony, dating back to the 12th century. The name is also mentioned in the Bremisches Urkundenbuch, a compilation of historical records from the city-state of Bremen, in the 13th century.
In the 14th century, the name Spann appeared in the records of the city of Nürnberg (Nuremberg), where a certain Hans Spann was listed as a landowner. Another notable individual bearing this surname was Johann Spann, a German mathematician and astronomer who lived in the 16th century (1535-1586).
During the 17th century, the surname Spann was found in various parts of Germany, including the regions of Bavaria and Württemberg. One notable figure from this period was Georg Spann (1619-1680), a German theologian and author.
In the 18th century, the name Spann was associated with several notable individuals, including Johann Michael Spann (1718-1784), a German engraver and artist, and Johann Philipp Spann (1744-1810), a German composer and organist.
Another significant figure with the surname Spann was Othmar Spann (1878-1950), an Austrian philosopher and economist who was a leading proponent of the theory of universalism and the concept of the "true state."
Throughout history, the surname Spann has been spelled in various ways, such as Spann, Spanne, and Spann. It has also been associated with several place names, such as Spannberg and Spannheim, which were likely derived from the surname itself.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Spann
Among Census respondents with the surname Spann, the largest self-reported group is Black at 51.2%. The next largest groups are White (40.2%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Spann 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 Spann surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American51.2% · 6,063
- White40.2% · 4,762
- Two or more races4.8% · 564
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 345
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 59
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 44
Timeline
Historical Census data for Spann
Spann 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
#2,882
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,457
+766 bearers (+6.6%)
Per 100,000 4.22
Rank movement Down 67 places
2020
#2,970
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,837
-620 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 3.96
Rank movement Down 88 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,815 | 11,691 | 4.33 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,882 | 12,457 | 4.22 | +766 bearers (+6.6%) | Down 67 places |
| 2020 | #2,970 | 11,837 | 3.96 | -620 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 88 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 Spann 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 | #2,882 | #2,970 | -3.1% |
| Count | 12,457 | 11,837 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 4.22 | 3.96 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Spann bearers went from 12,457 to 11,837 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 88 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,882 to #2,970.
FAQ
Spann surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Spann?
Name Census estimates that about 13,574 living Americans carry the surname Spann. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 25,251 residents.
How common is Spann?
Spann ranks #2,970 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.96 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,837 people with the surname Spann. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,574), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.96 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.96 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Spann.
Has Spann become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Spann went from 12,457 recorded bearers to 11,837. That is a decrease of 620 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,882 to #2,970.
What does the Census say about the background of Spann?
Among Census respondents with the surname Spann, the largest self-reported group is Black at 51.2%. The next largest groups are White (40.2%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Spann in the 2020 Census, accounting for 51.2% (6,063 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Spann appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (51.2%), White (40.2%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Spann (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 Spann mean?
Derived from the Old Norse word "spán," meaning a chip or splinter of wood, likely referring to a carpenter. 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 Spann (3.96 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 surname Spann?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.