2010
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Sparwasser
A German occupational surname referring to someone who trapped sparrows or small birds.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Sparwasser. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sparwasser 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Sparwasser in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sparwasser, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sparwasser
The surname SPARWASSER originated in Germany, first appearing in records dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Middle Low German words "spar" meaning "sparrow" and "wasser" meaning "water," likely referring to a person who lived near a body of water frequented by sparrows.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Magdeburg Chancery Records of 1290, which mention a "Johannes Sparwasser" residing in the city of Magdeburg. The name also appears in various medieval manuscripts and church records from the regions of Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt.
During the 15th century, the Sparwasser family established itself in the town of Quedlinburg, located in the Harz mountains. A notable member was Johann Sparwasser (1455-1521), a respected artisan and member of the town council.
In the 16th century, the name spread to other parts of Germany, including the city of Leipzig, where a merchant named Hans Sparwasser (1543-1612) established a successful trading business dealing in textiles and spices.
The 17th century saw the birth of Christoph Sparwasser (1625-1693), a Lutheran theologian and author who served as a pastor in the town of Halle an der Saale. His writings on biblical exegesis and church history were widely acclaimed during his lifetime.
In the 19th century, Carl Sparwasser (1812-1879) gained prominence as a pioneering educator and advocate for modern teaching methods. He founded several schools in Berlin and published influential works on pedagogy.
Another notable figure was the artist and illustrator Max Sparwasser (1874-1942), whose intricate woodcut prints and book illustrations were highly regarded in the early 20th century art scene in Germany.
Throughout its history, the surname SPARWASSER has been associated with various regions and cities in Germany, including Magdeburg, Quedlinburg, Leipzig, Halle an der Saale, and Berlin, reflecting the geographical distribution of the name over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sparwasser
Among Census respondents with the surname Sparwasser, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Sparwasser 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 Sparwasser surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 116
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sparwasser
Sparwasser 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
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+7 bearers (+6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,424 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.4%) | Up 5,424 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 Sparwasser 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 | #150,452 | #145,028 | 3.6% |
| Count | 109 | 116 | 6.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sparwasser bearers went from 109 to 116 (+6.4% change). The surname moved up 5,424 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #145,028.
FAQ
Sparwasser surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sparwasser?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Sparwasser. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Sparwasser?
Sparwasser ranks #145,028 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 116 people with the surname Sparwasser. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Sparwasser.
Has Sparwasser become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sparwasser went from 109 recorded bearers to 116. That is an increase of 7 (+6.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #150,452 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Sparwasser?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sparwasser, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Sparwasser in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (116 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sparwasser appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Sparwasser (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 Sparwasser mean?
A German occupational surname referring to someone who trapped sparrows or small birds. 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 Sparwasser (0.04 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 common is the surname Sparwasser?
Find out how many people are called Sparwasser on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.