2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Spilios
A Greek surname derived from the word "σπήλαιο" meaning "cave" or "cavern".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Spilios. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Spilios 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Spilios in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Spilios, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Spilios
The surname "Spilios" is of Greek origin, with its roots tracing back to the Byzantine era in the 9th-12th centuries AD. It is derived from the Greek word "spelios," which translates to "cave" or "grotto." This suggests that the name may have originated from individuals who lived in or near caves, or from a specific geographic location associated with caves.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name "Spilios" can be found in a Greek manuscript from the 11th century, which mentions a certain "Theodosius Spilios" as a landowner in the region of Thessaly. This provides evidence of the surname's existence during the Byzantine period.
In the 14th century, a notable figure named "Manuel Spilios" was a prominent scholar and writer who contributed to the preservation of ancient Greek literature. He is believed to have been born around 1320 in Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) and played a significant role in the intellectual circles of the Byzantine Empire.
During the Ottoman rule in Greece, which lasted from the 15th to the 19th century, the surname "Spilios" continued to be used. A notable example from this period is "Georgios Spilios," a merchant and shipowner who lived in the 18th century on the island of Chios. His business dealings and maritime activities contributed to the island's economic prosperity.
In the 19th century, "Alexandros Spilios" was a Greek revolutionary who fought against the Ottoman Empire during the Greek War of Independence (1821-1829). He was born in 1790 in the village of Megalochori, in the Peloponnese region, and played a crucial role in the liberation of his homeland.
Another notable figure from the same era was "Konstantinos Spilios," a Greek politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Kingdom of Greece in the late 19th century. He was born in 1844 on the island of Hydra and played a significant role in shaping Greece's foreign policy during a critical period in the country's history.
These examples illustrate the long-standing presence of the surname "Spilios" in Greek history, spanning from the Byzantine era to the modern era, and its association with various notable individuals across different fields, including scholarship, trade, revolutionary movements, and politics.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Spilios
Among Census respondents with the surname Spilios, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Spilios 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 Spilios surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 106
- Hispanic or Latino5.2% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Spilios
Spilios 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
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+2 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,404 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 537 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 7,404 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 537 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 Spilios 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 | #145,220 | #145,757 | -0.4% |
| Count | 114 | 115 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Spilios bearers went from 114 to 115 (+0.9% change). The surname moved down 537 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #145,757.
FAQ
Spilios surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Spilios?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Spilios. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Spilios?
Spilios ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Spilios. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Spilios.
Has Spilios become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Spilios went from 114 recorded bearers to 115. That is an increase of 1 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Spilios?
Among Census respondents with the surname Spilios, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Spilios in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Spilios appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Hispanic (5.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Spilios (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 Spilios mean?
A Greek surname derived from the word "σπήλαιο" meaning "cave" or "cavern". 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 Spilios (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 have the last name Spilios?
You can see how many people have the surname Spilios on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.