2000
#5,538
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,767
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.14
Rare Last name
Specht
A German occupational surname meaning "woodpecker," likely referring to a woodcutter, woodcarver, or someone living near woodpeckers.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,149 Americans carry the last name Specht. That puts it at #6,125 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.79 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 55,741 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Specht 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
6.1K
1 in 55,741
Census rank
#6,125
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,362 bearers of the surname Specht in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.79 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6125th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Specht, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Specht
The surname Specht is of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word "speht," which means "woodpecker." The word itself is of imitative origin, mimicking the sound made by the bird. The name first emerged in the 12th century, referring to someone who lived near a woodpecker's nest or whose physical characteristics or occupation were associated with the bird.
In the 13th century, the name Specht appeared in various historical records, including the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of charters and documents from the Saxon region of Germany. One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Henricus Speht, mentioned in a document from the city of Erfurt in 1292.
The Specht name spread across various regions of Germany, including Saxony, Bavaria, and the Rhineland. It also found its way into the Low Countries and parts of Austria. In the 16th century, the name appeared in the records of the city of Augsburg, with a notable bearer being Johannes Specht, a merchant and councilman born in 1520.
In the 17th century, the name Specht gained prominence with the birth of Paul Specht (1602-1670), a German jurist and politician who served as the Mayor of Leipzig. Another notable bearer from this period was the poet and philosopher Friedrich von Spee (1591-1635), who played a significant role in exposing the injustices of the witchcraft trials in Germany.
The 18th century saw the birth of Johann Tobias Specht (1727-1791), a German philosopher and theologian who wrote extensively on the philosophy of religion. In the 19th century, the name was associated with Carl Specht (1801-1873), a German architect who designed several notable buildings in Berlin, including the Bode Museum.
One of the most famous bearers of the Specht surname was the German opera singer and actor Rudolf Specht (1891-1977), who performed on stages across Europe and was particularly renowned for his roles in Wagner operas.
Throughout its history, the surname Specht has maintained its connection to the woodpecker, with various place names and locations bearing the name, such as Spechtshausen, a village in the German state of Hesse, and Spechtsart, a forest near the city of Würzburg.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Specht
Among Census respondents with the surname Specht, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Specht 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 Specht surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.2% · 4,998
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 181
- Two or more races2.1% · 111
- Black or African American0.5% · 28
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 27
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Specht
Specht 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
#5,991
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,738
-29 bearers (-0.5%)
Per 100,000 1.95
Rank movement Down 453 places
2020
#6,125
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,362
-376 bearers (-6.6%)
Per 100,000 1.79
Rank movement Down 134 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,538 | 5,767 | 2.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,991 | 5,738 | 1.95 | -29 bearers (-0.5%) | Down 453 places |
| 2020 | #6,125 | 5,362 | 1.79 | -376 bearers (-6.6%) | Down 134 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 Specht 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 | #5,991 | #6,125 | -2.2% |
| Count | 5,738 | 5,362 | -6.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.95 | 1.79 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Specht bearers went from 5,738 to 5,362 (-6.6% change). The surname moved down 134 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,991 to #6,125.
FAQ
Specht surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Specht?
Name Census estimates that about 6,149 living Americans carry the surname Specht. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 55,741 residents.
How common is Specht?
Specht ranks #6,125 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.79 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,362 people with the surname Specht. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,149), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.79 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.79 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Specht.
Has Specht become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Specht went from 5,738 recorded bearers to 5,362. That is a decrease of 376 (-6.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,991 to #6,125.
What does the Census say about the background of Specht?
Among Census respondents with the surname Specht, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Specht in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (4,998 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Specht appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.2%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Specht (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 Specht mean?
A German occupational surname meaning "woodpecker," likely referring to a woodcutter, woodcarver, or someone living near woodpeckers. 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 Specht (1.79 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 are called Specht?
You can see how many people have the last name Specht on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.