2000
#140,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Spatig
A surname of German origin meaning wide-spread or having expansive branches.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Spatig. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Spatig 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Spatig in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Spatig, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Spatig
The surname SPATIG originated in Germany, with roots dating back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "spat," meaning "late" or "tardy," likely referring to an ancestor who was born later in life or had a tendency for tardiness.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name SPATIG can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of medieval documents from Saxony, which mentions a Johann Spatig in the year 1342. This suggests that the name was already established in that region by the 14th century.
In the 15th century, a branch of the SPATIG family settled in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a well-preserved medieval city in Bavaria. The town's archives contain records of a Konrad Spatig, who was a respected baker and guild member in 1472.
As the name spread throughout German-speaking regions, variations in spelling emerged, such as Spatich, Spatick, and Spätig. These variations were often influenced by local dialects and scribal errors in record-keeping.
One notable figure bearing the SPATIG name was Johann Spatig (1525-1592), a Lutheran theologian and author from Saxony. His works included commentaries on biblical texts and polemics against the Catholic Church.
Another prominent individual was Christoph Spatig (1640-1718), a German composer and organist who served at the court of the Prince-Bishop of Bamberg. His compositions included sacred choral works and instrumental pieces.
In the 19th century, a branch of the SPATIG family emigrated to the United States, where the name was sometimes anglicized to "Spaddick" or "Spaddock." One such individual was Johann Spatig (1812-1882), who settled in Pennsylvania and worked as a farmer.
Towards the end of the 19th century, a notable figure was Ernst Spatig (1857-1932), a German architect who designed several prominent buildings in Berlin, including the Reichsbank and the Anhalter Bahnhof railway station.
Additionally, the SPATIG surname has been associated with the town of Spätingen (formerly Spatingen) in the Rhineland region of Germany, suggesting a potential connection to a place name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Spatig
Among Census respondents with the surname Spatig, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Spatig 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 Spatig surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 109
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.5% · 3
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Spatig
Spatig 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
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+5 bearers (+4.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,464 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+6 bearers (+5.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,171 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #140,756 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.6%) | Down 4,464 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.3%) | Up 3,171 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 Spatig 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 | #145,220 | #142,049 | 2.2% |
| Count | 114 | 120 | 5.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Spatig bearers went from 114 to 120 (+5.3% change). The surname moved up 3,171 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #142,049.
FAQ
Spatig surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Spatig?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Spatig. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Spatig?
Spatig ranks #142,049 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 120 people with the surname Spatig. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), 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 Spatig.
Has Spatig become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Spatig went from 114 recorded bearers to 120. That is an increase of 6 (+5.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #145,220 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Spatig?
Among Census respondents with the surname Spatig, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.5%). 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 Spatig in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Spatig appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Hispanic (3.3%), American Indian/Alaska Native (2.5%). 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 Spatig (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 Spatig mean?
A surname of German origin meaning wide-spread or having expansive branches. 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 Spatig (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 many people have the surname Spatig?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.