2000
#149,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Spielmaker
A surname derived from the German words "spiel" (play) and "maker" (maker), suggesting an ancestor's occupation as a toymaker or gamemaker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Spielmaker. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Spielmaker 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Spielmaker in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Spielmaker, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Spielmaker
The surname SPIELMAKER is of German origin, originating in the late medieval period around the 14th or 15th century. It is derived from the German words "spiel", meaning "game" or "play", and "macher", meaning "maker" or "creator". Thus, the name likely referred to someone who made or created games, toys, or other recreational items as a profession.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname SPIELMAKER can be found in various German town and city records from the 15th and 16th centuries. For example, a Hans Spielmaker is mentioned in the records of the city of Nuremberg in 1476. Another early record is of a Peter Spielmaker, who was a citizen of the town of Augsburg in 1521.
In the 17th century, the surname SPIELMAKER began to appear in other parts of Europe as well. One notable bearer of the name was Johann Spielmaker, a German-born mathematician and astronomer who lived from 1619 to 1689. He made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics and worked as a professor at the University of Altdorf.
Another individual with the surname SPIELMAKER was Friedrich Spielmaker, a German composer and organist who lived from 1715 to 1783. He served as the court composer and organist for the Prince-Bishop of Würzburg and composed numerous works for the organ and other instruments.
In the 19th century, the SPIELMAKER surname can be found in various parts of Germany, as well as in neighboring countries such as Austria and Switzerland. One notable bearer of the name from this period was Karl Spielmaker, a German writer and philosopher who lived from 1838 to 1912. He wrote extensively on topics related to ethics, aesthetics, and the philosophy of art.
Another individual with the surname SPIELMAKER was Theodor Spielmaker, a German-born businessman and industrialist who lived from 1860 to 1928. He founded a successful manufacturing company in the city of Leipzig and played a significant role in the development of the city's industrial sector.
While the surname SPIELMAKER is not as common today as it once was, it continues to be found in various parts of Germany and other German-speaking regions of Europe. The name serves as a reminder of the rich cultural and occupational heritage of medieval and early modern Germany, where the creation of games and toys was an important and respected profession.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Spielmaker
Among Census respondents with the surname Spielmaker, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Spielmaker 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 Spielmaker surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 102
- Two or more races4.5% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Spielmaker
Spielmaker 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
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
+6 bearers (+5.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,300 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+4 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,963 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #149,328 | 101 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.9%) | Down 3,300 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.7%) | Up 3,963 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 Spielmaker 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 | #152,628 | #148,665 | 2.6% |
| Count | 107 | 111 | 3.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Spielmaker bearers went from 107 to 111 (+3.7% change). The surname moved up 3,963 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #148,665.
FAQ
Spielmaker surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Spielmaker?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Spielmaker. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Spielmaker?
Spielmaker ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Spielmaker. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Spielmaker.
Has Spielmaker become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Spielmaker went from 107 recorded bearers to 111. That is an increase of 4 (+3.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #152,628 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Spielmaker?
Among Census respondents with the surname Spielmaker, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (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 Spielmaker in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Spielmaker appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Two or More Races (4.5%), Hispanic (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 Spielmaker (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 Spielmaker mean?
A surname derived from the German words "spiel" (play) and "maker" (maker), suggesting an ancestor's occupation as a toymaker or gamemaker. 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 Spielmaker (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 many people are called Spielmaker?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Spielmaker at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.