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

Spess, 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 Spess surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Spess in America

Spess is the 123064th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Spess surname appeared 140 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 Spess.

We can also compare 2010 data for Spess 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 Spess

The surname Spess has its origins in Germany, where it first appeared in the late 15th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "spes," meaning "spear" or "lance." This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with a skilled spearman or someone who made or sold spears.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Spess can be found in the town records of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a medieval town in Bavaria, dating back to 1497. The entry mentions a "Hans Spess," who was a local blacksmith.

In the 16th century, the name Spess began to spread across various regions of Germany, with several variations in spelling, such as Spess, Spesse, and Spes. Records from this period show that the name was particularly prevalent in the southern regions of Germany, including Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg.

A notable individual bearing the Spess surname was Johann Spess (1510-1580), a German theologian and Protestant reformer from Nuremberg. He played a significant role in the Reformation movement and was a close associate of Philip Melanchthon.

Another individual of note was Christoph Spess (1570-1631), a German composer and organist who served at the court of the Duke of Württemberg. His works include several collections of sacred and secular music.

In the 17th century, the Spess name appeared in various historical documents, including church records and municipal archives. One such record is the baptismal register of St. Peter's Church in Frankfurt, which lists the birth of a child named Maria Spess in 1632.

Moving into the 18th century, a notable figure was Johann Georg Spess (1725-1801), a German architect and builder who was responsible for the construction of several notable buildings in the city of Erfurt, including the Erfurt Cathedral.

Another individual of note from this period was Friedrich Spess (1770-1845), a German artist and engraver who gained recognition for his intricate landscape etchings and engravings.

Throughout the 19th century, the Spess name continued to be found across various regions of Germany, and some individuals bearing this surname also began to migrate to other parts of Europe and North America.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Spess

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

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 Spess 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 Spess 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 Spess was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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