2000
#146,011
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Spielbusch
A German surname meaning "play woods" or "amusement woods".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 115 Americans carry the last name Spielbusch. That puts it at #155,682 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,980,473 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Spielbusch 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
115
1 in 2,980,473
Census rank
#155,682
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
100
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 100 bearers of the surname Spielbusch in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155682nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Spielbusch, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Spielbusch
The surname "SPIELBUSCH" has its origins in Germany, dating back to the late medieval period around the 13th or 14th century. It is believed to have originated as a topographic name, derived from the German words "spiel" meaning "play" or "game" and "busch" meaning "bush" or "shrub." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived near a bush or thicket where children played games.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the town records of Cologne, where a certain Johann Spielbusch was mentioned as a resident in the year 1412. The name also appears in various church registers and tax records from the 16th and 17th centuries in the regions of Westphalia and the Rhineland, indicating its widespread use among German-speaking communities.
In the 18th century, a notable figure bearing the surname Spielbusch was Johann Friedrich Spielbusch (1717-1782), a German theologian and author who served as a pastor in the city of Kassel. His works include several theological treatises and sermons published during his lifetime.
Another individual of note was August Spielbusch (1796-1870), a German painter and lithographer who was born in Heidelberg. He is known for his landscapes and architectural depictions of various cities in Germany and Switzerland.
The name Spielbusch also appears in historical records from other parts of Europe, suggesting that members of this family may have migrated or settled in different regions over time. For example, in the late 19th century, a certain Josef Spielbusch (1837-1911) was a prominent businessman and landowner in the city of Lviv, which was then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
In more recent times, the surname Spielbusch has been associated with several notable figures in the fields of academia and the arts. Hans-Jürgen Spielbusch (1944-2021) was a German philosopher and professor who taught at various universities in Germany and authored several books on ethics and political philosophy.
Another individual of note is Dietrich Spielbusch (born 1956), a German composer and conductor who has written numerous orchestral and chamber works, as well as film scores. His compositions have been performed by major orchestras around the world.
While the name Spielbusch is not among the most common surnames in Germany today, it has a rich history that spans several centuries and has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, from theologians and artists to scholars and musicians.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Spielbusch
Among Census respondents with the surname Spielbusch, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Spielbusch 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 Spielbusch surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.0% · 97
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 2
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Spielbusch
Spielbusch 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
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
+4 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,521 places
2020
#155,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-8 bearers (-7.4%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 4,150 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #146,011 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 5,521 places |
| 2020 | #155,682 | 100 | 0.03 | -8 bearers (-7.4%) | Down 4,150 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 Spielbusch 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 | #151,532 | #155,682 | -2.7% |
| Count | 108 | 100 | -7.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -16.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Spielbusch bearers went from 108 to 100 (-7.4% change). The surname moved down 4,150 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #155,682.
FAQ
Spielbusch surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Spielbusch?
Name Census estimates that about 115 living Americans carry the surname Spielbusch. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,980,473 residents.
How common is Spielbusch?
Spielbusch ranks #155,682 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 100 people with the surname Spielbusch. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (115), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Spielbusch.
Has Spielbusch become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Spielbusch went from 108 recorded bearers to 100. That is a decrease of 8 (-7.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #151,532 to #155,682.
What does the Census say about the background of Spielbusch?
Among Census respondents with the surname Spielbusch, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Spielbusch in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.0% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Spielbusch appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.0%), Hispanic (2.0%), Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Spielbusch (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 Spielbusch mean?
A German surname meaning "play woods" or "amusement woods". 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 Spielbusch (0.03 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 Spielbusch?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.