2000
#7,204
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,274
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.58
Rare Last name
Sperling
Derived from the German word "Sperling," meaning a sparrow, likely referring to someone who caught sparrows or was small and lively.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,452 Americans carry the last name Sperling. That puts it at #8,164 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.30 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 76,989 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sperling 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Sperling with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.5K
1 in 76,989
Census rank
#8,164
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,882 bearers of the surname Sperling in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.30 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8164th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sperling, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sperling
The surname SPERLING is of German origin, derived from the Middle Low German word "sperlink" which means "little sparrow." It is believed to have originated as a descriptive nickname referring to someone with a small, bird-like appearance or mannerisms.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 14th century in various regions of Germany, including Saxony and Brandenburg. One of the earliest documented examples is found in the records of the city of Leipzig in 1376, referring to a person named Hans Sperling.
In the 15th century, the name appears in various historical documents and records, such as the Nuremberg Chronicles, a famous illustrated world history published in 1493. The name is also mentioned in the Stadtbuch (city book) of Görlitz, a city in eastern Germany, in the year 1487.
As the name spread across Germany and into neighboring regions, variations in spelling emerged, such as Sperlinck, Sperlingh, and Sperlingk. These variations are often found in historical records from different regions and time periods.
One notable individual with the surname SPERLING was Johann Sperling (1603-1658), a German jurist and legal scholar who served as the Rector of the University of Wittenberg. Another was Otto Sperling (1634-1717), a German philologist and historian who made significant contributions to the study of ancient Greek and Roman literature.
In the 18th century, the name gained prominence with individuals like Johann Sperling (1705-1766), a German theologian and author, and Johann Christian Sperling (1753-1811), a German pharmacist and botanist who made important contributions to the study of medicinal plants.
The SPERLING surname also appears in historical records from other European countries, such as the Netherlands and Poland, likely due to migration and intermarriage. For example, Joachim Sperling (1573-1620) was a Dutch theologian and professor at the University of Leiden, while Jan Sperling (1640-1712) was a notable Polish architect and sculptor.
Throughout history, the surname SPERLING has been associated with various professions and fields, including law, academia, theology, and the arts, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of those who bore this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sperling
Among Census respondents with the surname Sperling, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Sperling 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 Sperling surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.6% · 3,438
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 153
- Two or more races3.1% · 119
- Black or African American2.9% · 114
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 54
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sperling
Sperling 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
#7,841
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,224
-50 bearers (-1.2%)
Per 100,000 1.43
Rank movement Down 637 places
2020
#8,164
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,882
-342 bearers (-8.1%)
Per 100,000 1.30
Rank movement Down 323 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,204 | 4,274 | 1.58 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,841 | 4,224 | 1.43 | -50 bearers (-1.2%) | Down 637 places |
| 2020 | #8,164 | 3,882 | 1.30 | -342 bearers (-8.1%) | Down 323 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 Sperling 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 | #7,841 | #8,164 | -4.1% |
| Count | 4,224 | 3,882 | -8.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.43 | 1.30 | -9.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sperling bearers went from 4,224 to 3,882 (-8.1% change). The surname moved down 323 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,841 to #8,164.
FAQ
Sperling surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sperling?
Name Census estimates that about 4,452 living Americans carry the surname Sperling. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 76,989 residents.
How common is Sperling?
Sperling ranks #8,164 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.30 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,882 people with the surname Sperling. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,452), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.3 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.30 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Sperling.
Has Sperling become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sperling went from 4,224 recorded bearers to 3,882. That is a decrease of 342 (-8.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,841 to #8,164.
What does the Census say about the background of Sperling?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sperling, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Sperling in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.6% (3,438 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sperling appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.6%), Hispanic (3.9%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Sperling (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 Sperling mean?
Derived from the German word "Sperling," meaning a sparrow, likely referring to someone who caught sparrows or was small and lively. 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 Sperling (1.30 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 people have the surname Sperling?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.