2000
#50,686
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 387
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.14
Very Rare Last name
Spiegler
A German surname derived from the occupation of a mirror maker or mirror polisher.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 446 Americans carry the last name Spiegler. That puts it at #56,668 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 768,507 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Spiegler 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
446
1 in 768,507
Census rank
#56,668
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
389
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 389 bearers of the surname Spiegler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 56668th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Spiegler, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Spiegler
The surname Spiegler originated in Germany, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is derived from the German word "spiegeln," which means "to mirror" or "to reflect." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who worked as a mirror maker or dealt in the production of mirrors.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Spiegler can be found in the city of Augsburg, Bavaria, in the late 1500s. A man named Hans Spiegler was listed as a member of the local mirror makers' guild. This provides evidence of the occupation from which the surname likely originated.
In the 17th century, the name Spiegler appeared in various records across different regions of Germany, such as Saxony and Württemberg. For example, a Christoph Spiegler was born in Dresden, Saxony, in 1623, and his family was involved in the mirror-making trade.
The surname Spiegler can also be traced back to place names that may have influenced its development. For instance, there is a village named Spiegelberg in Lower Saxony, which could have been the origin of the surname for some families who resided there.
One notable individual with the surname Spiegler was Johann Christoph Spiegler, a German composer and organist who lived from 1691 to 1765. He was highly regarded for his contributions to church music during the Baroque period.
Another prominent figure was Friedrich Spiegler, a German artist and engraver born in Dresden in 1758. He was known for his intricate etchings and engravings depicting landscapes and architectural scenes.
In the 19th century, the name Spiegler continued to appear in various parts of Germany. Carl Spiegler, born in 1820 in Württemberg, was a renowned sculptor who created numerous public monuments and statues.
Jacob Spiegler, born in 1858 in Bavaria, was a successful entrepreneur who founded a company that manufactured optical instruments and lenses, further reflecting the connection between the surname and the mirror-making trade.
While the surname Spiegler is primarily associated with Germany, it has also been found in other European countries, likely due to migration and intermarriage over the centuries. However, the origins of the name can be traced back to the German language and the occupation of mirror makers or those involved in related industries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Spiegler
Among Census respondents with the surname Spiegler, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Spiegler 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 Spiegler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.7% · 349
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 17
- Two or more races2.6% · 10
- Black or African American1.8% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Spiegler
Spiegler 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
#54,055
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 382
-5 bearers (-1.3%)
Per 100,000 0.13
Rank movement Down 3,369 places
2020
#56,668
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 389
+7 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.13
Rank movement Down 2,613 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #50,686 | 387 | 0.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #54,055 | 382 | 0.13 | -5 bearers (-1.3%) | Down 3,369 places |
| 2020 | #56,668 | 389 | 0.13 | +7 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 2,613 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 Spiegler 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 | #54,055 | #56,668 | -4.8% |
| Count | 382 | 389 | 1.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.13 | 0.13 | 0.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Spiegler bearers went from 382 to 389 (+1.8% change). The surname moved down 2,613 positions in the national ranking, going from #54,055 to #56,668.
FAQ
Spiegler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Spiegler?
Name Census estimates that about 446 living Americans carry the surname Spiegler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 768,507 residents.
How common is Spiegler?
Spiegler ranks #56,668 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.13 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 389 people with the surname Spiegler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (446), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.13 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 Spiegler.
Has Spiegler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Spiegler went from 382 recorded bearers to 389. That is an increase of 7 (+1.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #54,055 to #56,668.
What does the Census say about the background of Spiegler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Spiegler, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Spiegler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (349 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Spiegler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.7%), Hispanic (4.4%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Spiegler (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 Spiegler mean?
A German surname derived from the occupation of a mirror maker or mirror polisher. 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 Spiegler (0.13 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 last name Spiegler?
You can see how many people have the last name Spiegler on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.