2000
#142,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Spinar
A surname originating from the Czech word "spinar", meaning someone who worked with yarn or thread.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Spinar. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Spinar 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Spinar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Spinar, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.3%) and Two or More Races (5.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Spinar
The surname Spinar is of Czech origin, originating in the region of Bohemia during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old Czech word "spinar," which means "weaver" or "spinner." This suggests that the name was likely originally an occupational surname given to individuals who worked as weavers or spinners of thread or yarn.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in historical records from the 14th and 15th centuries in various towns and villages across Bohemia. In the 1379 census of the town of Louny, a family with the surname Spinar is listed among the residents. Similarly, in the 1412 tax records of the city of Prague, several individuals bearing the Spinar name are mentioned.
One notable historical figure with the surname Spinar was Jan Spinar, a prominent Czech reformer and theologian who lived from 1592 to 1638. He was a supporter of the Protestant movement in Bohemia and played a significant role in the religious and political upheavals of the time.
Another individual of note was Vaclav Spinar, a Czech artist and painter who lived from 1647 to 1719. He is best known for his baroque-style religious paintings and frescoes, many of which can still be found adorning churches and cathedrals throughout the Czech Republic.
In the 18th century, the Spinar surname appears in various records from the town of Kutná Hora, a historical mining center in Bohemia. One notable figure from this period was Josef Spinar, a wealthy merchant and landowner who lived from 1712 to 1781.
The 19th century saw the Spinar surname spread to other regions of Europe, including Slovakia and Austria. One notable bearer of the name from this era was Karel Spinar, a Czech mathematician and astronomer who lived from 1827 to 1897. He made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics and published numerous works on the subject.
Finally, in the early 20th century, the Spinar surname gained recognition through the work of Frantisek Spinar, a Czech geologist and paleontologist who lived from 1887 to 1952. He was a pioneer in the study of fossil vertebrates and made numerous important discoveries throughout his career.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Spinar
Among Census respondents with the surname Spinar, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.3%) and Two or More Races (5.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Spinar 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 Spinar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.5% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino9.3% · 11
- Two or more races5.9% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.4% · 4
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Spinar
Spinar 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
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+13 bearers (+12.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,591 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-2 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,283 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #142,819 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | +13 bearers (+12.1%) | Up 3,591 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 4,283 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 Spinar 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 | #139,228 | #143,511 | -3.1% |
| Count | 120 | 118 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Spinar bearers went from 120 to 118 (-1.7% change). The surname moved down 4,283 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #143,511.
FAQ
Spinar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Spinar?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Spinar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Spinar?
Spinar ranks #143,511 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 118 people with the surname Spinar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Spinar.
Has Spinar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Spinar went from 120 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Spinar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Spinar, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.3%) and Two or More Races (5.9%). 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 Spinar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.5% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Spinar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.5%), Hispanic (9.3%), Two or More Races (5.9%). 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 Spinar (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 Spinar mean?
A surname originating from the Czech word "spinar", meaning someone who worked with yarn or thread. 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 Spinar (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 Spinar?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Spinar at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.