Sparber last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Sparber

Of German origin, a locational name for someone living near a spa or mineral spring.

Sparber, 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 Sparber surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Sparber in America

Sparber is the 81772nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Sparber surname appeared 231 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 Sparber.

We can also compare 2010 data for Sparber 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 81772 73412 10.77%
Count 231 246 -6.29%
Proportion per 100k 0.08 0.09 -11.76%

The history of the last name Sparber

The surname Sparber originated in Germany, where it first emerged in the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Middle High German word "sparwer," which means "sparrowhawk." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who worked with or was associated with these birds of prey.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sparber can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from the Margraviate of Brandenburg, dated around 1300. The name appears in a list of landowners and tenants in the region.

During the 14th century, variations of the name, such as "Sparwer" and "Sparwere," were documented in various records across German-speaking areas, including the Prussian State Archives and the Austrian State Archives.

In the 15th century, a notable bearer of the name was Hans Sparber, a merchant and landowner from the city of Nuremberg, who lived from around 1420 to 1489.

Another prominent figure with this surname was Johannes Sparber, a Reformation scholar and theologian born in Augsburg, Germany, in 1542. He was a prominent figure in the Protestant Reformation and authored several influential theological works.

In the 17th century, the name Sparber appeared in the records of the Thirty Years' War, with several soldiers bearing this surname serving in various armies and regiments during the conflict.

The 18th century saw the birth of Johann Sparber, a renowned painter and engraver from the city of Vienna, Austria. He lived from 1705 to 1767 and is known for his intricate etchings and engravings depicting religious and historical scenes.

In the 19th century, the name Sparber was associated with several notable scholars and academics, such as Karl Sparber, a German historian and professor born in 1831, who specialized in the study of medieval German literature and culture.

As the centuries passed, the Sparber surname continued to be found in various regions of Germany, Austria, and other German-speaking areas, often linked to professions such as artisans, merchants, and craftsmen.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Sparber

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

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 Sparber was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 95.24% 220
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races (S)% (S)
Hispanic Origin 3.90% 9

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 Sparber has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 95.24% 96.34% -1.15%
Black 0.00% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% 0.00% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Two or More Races (S)% (S)% (S)%
Hispanic 3.90% 2.03% 63.07%

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 Sparber was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

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"Sparber last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on August 2, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/sparber-surname-popularity/.

"Sparber last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/sparber-surname-popularity/. Accessed 2 August, 2025

Sparber last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/sparber-surname-popularity/.

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