2000
#7,142
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,314
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.60
Rare Last name
Spina
An Italian occupational surname referring to a person who made or sold thorns, pins, or nails.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,565 Americans carry the last name Spina. That puts it at #7,977 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.33 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 75,083 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Spina 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Spina with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.6K
1 in 75,083
Census rank
#7,977
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,981 bearers of the surname Spina in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.33 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7977th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Spina, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and Two or More Races (1.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Spina
The surname SPINA has its origins in Italy, dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Italian word "spina," which means "thorn" or "spine." This suggests that the name may have originally been a descriptive nickname or an occupational name for someone who worked with thorns or spines, perhaps in activities like basket weaving or wool carding.
The earliest recorded instances of the SPINA surname can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Italy, including Tuscany, Umbria, and Lazio. One notable early bearer of this name was Pietro Spina, a renowned jurist and professor of canon law who lived in the 13th century and served as a papal counselor.
In the 14th century, the SPINA surname appeared in historical records such as the Codice Diplomatico della Repubblica di Genova, which documented the affairs of the Republic of Genoa. During this time, the SPINA family was prominent in the city of Pisa, with members holding influential positions in the local government and ecclesiastical institutions.
The name SPINA also has a connection to the town of Spinaceto, located in the province of Rome. This place name, which translates to "thorny place," may have contributed to the surname's origins or been influenced by it.
One notable bearer of the SPINA surname was Bartolomeo Spina, an Italian jurist and diplomat who lived from 1475 to 1546. He served as a papal nuncio and played a crucial role in the negotiations leading to the Peace of Crépy between Francis I of France and Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor.
Another prominent figure was Alessandro Spina, an Italian playwright and poet who lived from 1599 to 1668. He is best known for his tragedies and comedies, which were performed in various theaters across Italy during the 17th century.
In the 18th century, Giuseppe Spina, an Italian architect and engineer, made significant contributions to the urban development of Naples. He was responsible for designing several notable buildings, including the Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute and the Palazzo Spinelli di Laurino.
During the 19th century, Gaetano Spina, an Italian mathematician and astronomer, gained recognition for his work in celestial mechanics and the calculation of planetary orbits. He was born in 1826 and served as the director of the Astronomical Observatory of Palermo.
The SPINA surname has also been associated with various locations in Italy, such as the town of Spinazzola in the province of Bari, and the village of Spina in the province of Perugia. These place names may have influenced the surname or been influenced by it over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Spina
Among Census respondents with the surname Spina, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and Two or More Races (1.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Spina 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 Spina surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 3,667
- Hispanic or Latino5.5% · 217
- Two or more races1.5% · 59
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 23
- Black or African American0.4% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Spina
Spina 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
#7,481
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,453
+139 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 1.51
Rank movement Down 339 places
2020
#7,977
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,981
-472 bearers (-10.6%)
Per 100,000 1.33
Rank movement Down 496 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,142 | 4,314 | 1.60 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,481 | 4,453 | 1.51 | +139 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 339 places |
| 2020 | #7,977 | 3,981 | 1.33 | -472 bearers (-10.6%) | Down 496 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 Spina 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 | #7,481 | #7,977 | -6.6% |
| Count | 4,453 | 3,981 | -10.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.51 | 1.33 | -11.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Spina bearers went from 4,453 to 3,981 (-10.6% change). The surname moved down 496 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,481 to #7,977.
FAQ
Spina surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Spina?
Name Census estimates that about 4,565 living Americans carry the surname Spina. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 75,083 residents.
How common is Spina?
Spina ranks #7,977 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.33 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 3,981 people with the surname Spina. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,565), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.33 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.33 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 Spina.
Has Spina become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Spina went from 4,453 recorded bearers to 3,981. That is a decrease of 472 (-10.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,481 to #7,977.
What does the Census say about the background of Spina?
Among Census respondents with the surname Spina, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and Two or More Races (1.5%). 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 Spina in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (3,667 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Spina appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Hispanic (5.5%), Two or More Races (1.5%). 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 Spina (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 Spina mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to a person who made or sold thorns, pins, or nails. 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 Spina (1.33 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 Spina?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Spina at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.