2000
#14,292
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,922
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.71
Rare Last name
Spiess
An occupational surname derived from the German word for "spear-maker" or "lance-maker".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,268 Americans carry the last name Spiess. That puts it at #14,503 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 151,126 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Spiess 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
2.3K
1 in 151,126
Census rank
#14,503
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,978 bearers of the surname Spiess in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14503rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Spiess, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Spiess
The surname SPIESS has its origins in Germany, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the German word "Spiess," which means "spear" or "lance." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who was a maker or bearer of spears, perhaps a soldier or a member of a military order.
In the early 13th century, the name SPIESS appeared in various records and manuscripts, indicating its widespread use across Germanic regions. One notable mention is found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of historical documents from the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg, where a certain "Johannes Spiess" is listed as a witness to a land transaction in 1275.
The name SPIESS can also be traced to several place names in Germany, such as Spiessbach, a small village in the state of Baden-Württemberg. It is possible that the surname originated from a family's association with these locations, or from the occupation of someone living in those areas.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname SPIESS was Hans Spiess, a German military leader and engineer who lived from 1483 to 1547. He played a significant role in the Peasants' War of 1524-1525 and was known for his expertise in fortifications and siege tactics.
Another notable figure was Johann Jakob Spiess (1668-1719), a Swiss theologian and philosopher who studied at various universities across Europe. He is best known for his work on natural philosophy and his contributions to the development of Pietism, a movement within Lutheranism that emphasized personal piety and religious experience.
In the 18th century, Johann Andreas Spiess (1729-1791) was a German theologian and philosopher who served as a professor at the University of Göttingen. He wrote extensively on topics ranging from ethics and natural law to the philosophy of religion and was considered a leading intellectual figure of his time.
The name SPIESS also has a connection to the arts, with Johann Baptist Spiess (1781-1858), a German painter and engraver known for his religious and historical works. He studied under the renowned artist Peter von Cornelius and received commissions from various churches and patrons throughout his career.
Another notable figure was Adolf Spiess (1810-1858), a German-American lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly and played a significant role in the development of the state's legal system.
Throughout its history, the surname SPIESS has been associated with individuals from various professions and backgrounds, reflecting the diversity of its origins and the widespread use of the name across different regions of Germany and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Spiess
Among Census respondents with the surname Spiess, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Spiess 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 Spiess surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 1,805
- Hispanic or Latino4.9% · 97
- Two or more races2.7% · 54
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 15
- Black or African American0.4% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Spiess
Spiess 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
#15,340
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,912
-10 bearers (-0.5%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Down 1,048 places
2020
#14,503
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,978
+66 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Up 837 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,292 | 1,922 | 0.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,340 | 1,912 | 0.65 | -10 bearers (-0.5%) | Down 1,048 places |
| 2020 | #14,503 | 1,978 | 0.66 | +66 bearers (+3.5%) | Up 837 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 Spiess 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 | #15,340 | #14,503 | 5.5% |
| Count | 1,912 | 1,978 | 3.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.65 | 0.66 | 1.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Spiess bearers went from 1,912 to 1,978 (+3.5% change). The surname moved up 837 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,340 to #14,503.
FAQ
Spiess surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Spiess?
Name Census estimates that about 2,268 living Americans carry the surname Spiess. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 151,126 residents.
How common is Spiess?
Spiess ranks #14,503 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.66 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,978 people with the surname Spiess. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,268), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.66 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Spiess.
Has Spiess become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Spiess went from 1,912 recorded bearers to 1,978. That is an increase of 66 (+3.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,340 to #14,503.
What does the Census say about the background of Spiess?
Among Census respondents with the surname Spiess, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Spiess in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (1,805 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Spiess appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.3%), Hispanic (4.9%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Spiess (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 Spiess mean?
An occupational surname derived from the German word for "spear-maker" or "lance-maker". 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 Spiess (0.66 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 Spiess?
Want to know how many people are called Spiess? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.