2000
#134,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Spiegelhalter
A German occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of small mirrors.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Spiegelhalter. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Spiegelhalter 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Spiegelhalter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Spiegelhalter, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Black (1.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Spiegelhalter
The surname Spiegelhalter has its origins in the German language and is believed to have first emerged in the 14th century. The name is derived from the Middle High German words "spiegel," meaning mirror, and "halter," meaning holder or keeper. It likely referred to an occupation involving the production or sale of mirrors.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the town records of Nuremberg, Germany, where a certain Hans Spiegelhalter is mentioned as a resident in the year 1387. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region by the late 14th century.
During the 16th century, the Spiegelhalter family appears to have spread to other parts of German-speaking Europe. In 1547, a Georg Spiegelhalter is listed as a citizen of Bern, Switzerland, indicating the presence of the name in that region.
The name Spiegelhalter is also found in historical records from Austria. In the late 17th century, a Johann Spiegelhalter is recorded as a prominent glassmaker in the city of Vienna, lending credence to the theory that the name was originally associated with the mirror-making trade.
One notable figure with the surname Spiegelhalter was the German philosopher and theologian Johann Spiegelhalter (1710-1789). He was a professor at the University of Halle and wrote several influential works on ethics and moral philosophy.
Another individual of note was the Swiss painter and engraver Johann Rudolf Spiegelhalter (1768-1842). He was born in Basel and is known for his landscape paintings and etchings depicting scenes from the Swiss Alps.
In the 19th century, the Spiegelhalter name can be found in various parts of Europe. For example, a Johann Spiegelhalter (1801-1873) was a prominent merchant and businessman in the city of Hamburg, Germany.
The Spiegelhalter surname also has a presence in the United States, likely due to German immigration in the 19th and early 20th centuries. One notable American with this name was Edward Spiegelhalter (1870-1948), a successful businessman and philanthropist from Chicago.
Throughout its history, the surname Spiegelhalter has maintained its connection to the mirror-making trade, with many individuals bearing this name being associated with glassmaking, metalworking, or other related professions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Spiegelhalter
Among Census respondents with the surname Spiegelhalter, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Black (1.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Spiegelhalter 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 Spiegelhalter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.5% · 104
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Spiegelhalter
Spiegelhalter 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
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-9 bearers (-7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,840 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+4 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,323 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,929 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.8%) | Down 18,840 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.8%) | Up 4,323 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 Spiegelhalter 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 | #153,769 | #149,446 | 2.8% |
| Count | 106 | 110 | 3.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Spiegelhalter bearers went from 106 to 110 (+3.8% change). The surname moved up 4,323 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #149,446.
FAQ
Spiegelhalter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Spiegelhalter?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Spiegelhalter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Spiegelhalter?
Spiegelhalter ranks #149,446 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 110 people with the surname Spiegelhalter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Spiegelhalter.
Has Spiegelhalter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Spiegelhalter went from 106 recorded bearers to 110. That is an increase of 4 (+3.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Spiegelhalter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Spiegelhalter, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Black (1.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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 Spiegelhalter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.5% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Spiegelhalter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.5%), Black (1.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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 Spiegelhalter (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 Spiegelhalter mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of small mirrors. 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 Spiegelhalter (0.04 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 common is the surname Spiegelhalter?
Want to know how many people have the last name Spiegelhalter? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.