Find out how popular the last name Sperlich is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Sperlich.

Sperlich, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Sperlich surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Sperlich in America

Sperlich is the 98099th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Sperlich surname appeared 185 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Sperlich.

We can also compare 2010 data for Sperlich to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Sperlich

The surname Sperlich originated in Germany and the surrounding areas of central Europe. It is believed to have derived from the Middle High German word 'sperling', meaning 'sparrow'. This suggests that the name may have been initially used as a nickname or to describe someone with traits reminiscent of a sparrow, such as a small and slender stature.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sperlich can be found in the town records of Zittau, a town in the eastern German state of Saxony, dated back to the 16th century. The town's proximity to the Czech border also suggests that the name may have spread to neighboring regions, including parts of what is now the Czech Republic and Poland.

In the 17th century, a notable figure bearing the name Sperlich was Johann Sperlich, a German theologian and author born in 1603 in Zittau. He is best known for his work 'Institutio Religionis Christianae', a comprehensive text on Christian theology published in 1646.

Another historical figure with the surname Sperlich was Otto Sperlich, a German architect and urban planner born in 1863 in Nuremberg. He was renowned for his contributions to the development of residential and industrial buildings in the early 20th century, particularly in the cities of Nuremberg and Munich.

In the realm of literature, the name Sperlich is associated with Hans Sperlich, a German writer and poet born in 1908 in Breslau, now Wrocław, Poland. He is best known for his collections of poetry, including 'Wächter des Brunnens' (Guardian of the Well) published in 1937.

Moving to the field of sports, one notable figure was Erich Sperlich, a German swimmer who competed in the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. He won a bronze medal in the 4×200 meter freestyle relay event.

Finally, in the late 20th century, a prominent figure bearing the surname Sperlich was Peter Sperlich, a German politician and member of the Christian Democratic Union party. He served as a member of the Bundestag, the German federal parliament, from 1990 to 2009, representing the state of Saxony-Anhalt.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Sperlich

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Sperlich.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Sperlich was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Sperlich has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Sperlich was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Sperlich, please contact us.

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