2000
#27,258
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 834
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.31
Rare Last name
Spatola
An Italian surname derived from the word "spatola," meaning spatula or spoon-shaped tool.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,011 Americans carry the last name Spatola. That puts it at #28,704 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.30 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 339,025 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Spatola 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
1.0K
1 in 339,025
Census rank
#28,704
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
882
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 882 bearers of the surname Spatola in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.30 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 28704th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Spatola, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (1.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Spatola
The surname SPATOLA originated in Italy, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Italian word "spatula," which means a flat, blade-like utensil used for mixing or spreading. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to an occupation, possibly a baker or a chef.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various historical records from the regions of Campania and Calabria in Southern Italy. One notable early reference is found in the Codice Diplomatico Barese, a collection of medieval documents from the city of Bari, where a certain Nicola Spatola is mentioned in a legal document dated 1348.
The earliest recorded spelling variation of the name is "Spatula," which is found in a manuscript from the Archivio di Stato di Napoli, dating back to 1427. This document mentions a certain Antonello Spatula, a merchant from the city of Naples.
By the 16th century, the name had spread to other parts of Italy, including Sicily and the northern regions. In 1572, a Venetian merchant named Girolamo Spatola is recorded in the archives of the Venetian Republic, trading goods with the Ottoman Empire.
One of the earliest notable figures with the surname SPATOLA was Vincenzo Spatola, a 17th-century Sicilian painter and architect born in Palermo in 1592. He is best known for his work on the Chiesa di Santa Maria della Vita in Palermo, which he designed and helped construct.
In the 18th century, the name gained prominence in the field of medicine with the birth of Gaetano Spatola (1718-1792), a renowned Neapolitan physician and botanist. He authored several influential works on the medicinal properties of plants and was a member of the prestigious Accademia delle Scienze di Napoli.
Another notable figure was Giuseppe Spatola (1795-1871), an Italian politician and jurist from Calabria. He served as a member of the Sardinian Parliament and played a significant role in the unification of Italy in the 19th century.
In the 20th century, the name continued to produce distinguished individuals, such as the Italian sculptor and painter Nicola Spatola (1910-1989), whose works are displayed in numerous museums and galleries across Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Spatola
Among Census respondents with the surname Spatola, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (1.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Spatola 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 Spatola surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.1% · 830
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 34
- Two or more races1.2% · 11
- Black or African American0.5% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Spatola
Spatola 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
#27,581
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 873
+39 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.30
Rank movement Down 323 places
2020
#28,704
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 882
+9 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.30
Rank movement Down 1,123 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #27,258 | 834 | 0.31 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #27,581 | 873 | 0.30 | +39 bearers (+4.7%) | Down 323 places |
| 2020 | #28,704 | 882 | 0.30 | +9 bearers (+1.0%) | Down 1,123 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 Spatola 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 | #27,581 | #28,704 | -4.1% |
| Count | 873 | 882 | 1.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.30 | 0.30 | -1.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Spatola bearers went from 873 to 882 (+1.0% change). The surname moved down 1,123 positions in the national ranking, going from #27,581 to #28,704.
FAQ
Spatola surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Spatola?
Name Census estimates that about 1,011 living Americans carry the surname Spatola. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 339,025 residents.
How common is Spatola?
Spatola ranks #28,704 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.30 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 882 people with the surname Spatola. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,011), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.3 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.30 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 Spatola.
Has Spatola become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Spatola went from 873 recorded bearers to 882. That is an increase of 9 (+1.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #27,581 to #28,704.
What does the Census say about the background of Spatola?
Among Census respondents with the surname Spatola, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (1.2%). 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 Spatola in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.1% (830 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Spatola appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.1%), Hispanic (3.9%), Two or More Races (1.2%). 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 Spatola (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 Spatola mean?
An Italian surname derived from the word "spatola," meaning spatula or spoon-shaped tool. 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 Spatola (0.30 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 Spatola?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.