2000
#140,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Spengel
A German occupational surname derived from "spengel" meaning a ribbon or braid maker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 112 Americans carry the last name Spengel. That puts it at #156,269 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,060,307 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Spengel 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
112
1 in 3,060,307
Census rank
#156,269
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
98
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 98 bearers of the surname Spengel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156269th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Spengel, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Spengel
The surname Spengel is believed to have originated in Germany, with the earliest known records dating back to the late 15th century. It is thought to be derived from the Middle High German word "spengel," which referred to a metal bar or rod used in construction. This suggests that the name may have originally been an occupational surname given to metalworkers or blacksmiths.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Spengel appears in the parish records of the town of Eisleben in modern-day Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. In 1492, a man named Hans Spengel was listed as a resident of the town, which was known for its metalworking industry at the time. This lends credence to the theory that the name was initially associated with metalworkers or related trades.
In the 16th century, the name Spengel can be found in various historical documents from the German-speaking regions of Central Europe. For example, in 1524, a man named Jakob Spengel was recorded as a citizen of the city of Nuremberg, a prominent center of metalworking and craftsmanship during the Renaissance period.
Over the centuries, the Spengel name has been associated with several notable individuals. One of the earliest was Johann Spengel (1520-1588), a German humanist scholar and educator who served as the rector of the prestigious Pädagogium in Heidelberg. Another prominent figure was Leonhart Spengel (1680-1723), a German jurist and legal scholar who authored several influential works on Roman law.
In the 19th century, Christian Friedrich Spengel (1783-1859) was a renowned German philologist and classical scholar who made significant contributions to the study of ancient Greek literature. His son, Leonhard Spengel (1803-1880), followed in his footsteps and became a renowned classical scholar and editor of Greek texts.
Another noteworthy figure bearing the Spengel surname was August Spengel (1815-1888), a German botanist and botanist who made important contributions to the study of plant morphology and systematics. He served as a professor at the University of Munich and was a member of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences.
While the Spengel name has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world through emigration. However, the earliest recorded instances and historical references to the surname can be traced back to the German-speaking regions of Central Europe, where it likely originated as an occupational name associated with metalworking and related trades.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Spengel
Among Census respondents with the surname Spengel, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Spengel 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 Spengel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.9% · 92
- Two or more races5.1% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Spengel
Spengel 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
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-8 bearers (-7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 18,956 places
2020
#156,269
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 98
-3 bearers (-3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 3,443 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 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | -8 bearers (-7.3%) | Down 18,956 places |
| 2020 | #156,269 | 98 | 0.03 | -3 bearers (-3.0%) | Up 3,443 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 Spengel 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 | #159,712 | #156,269 | 2.2% |
| Count | 101 | 98 | -3.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 9.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Spengel bearers went from 101 to 98 (-3.0% change). The surname moved up 3,443 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #156,269.
FAQ
Spengel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Spengel?
Name Census estimates that about 112 living Americans carry the surname Spengel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,060,307 residents.
How common is Spengel?
Spengel ranks #156,269 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 98 people with the surname Spengel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (112), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Spengel.
Has Spengel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Spengel went from 101 recorded bearers to 98. That is a decrease of 3 (-3.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #156,269.
What does the Census say about the background of Spengel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Spengel, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Spengel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.9% (92 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Spengel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.9%), Two or More Races (5.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Spengel (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 Spengel mean?
A German occupational surname derived from "spengel" meaning a ribbon or braid maker. 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 Spengel (0.03 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 Spengel?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.