2000
#43,463
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 468
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.17
Very Rare Last name
Spindel
A surname derived from the German word for "spindle," likely referring to an occupation involving spinning yarn or thread.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 487 Americans carry the last name Spindel. That puts it at #52,687 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 703,808 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Spindel 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
487
1 in 703,808
Census rank
#52,687
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
425
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 425 bearers of the surname Spindel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 52687th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Spindel, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Spindel
The surname Spindel is of German origin, originating in the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Middle High German word "spindel," which referred to a spindle, a wooden rod used for spinning thread or yarn. This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname for someone who worked as a spinner or weaver.
Spindel is first recorded in the late 13th century in the town of Erfurt, in present-day Thuringia, Germany. The earliest known bearer of the name was Konrad Spindel, mentioned in a document from 1283. During this time, the surname would have been written in various spellings, such as "Spindeler" or "Spyndeler," reflecting regional dialects and scribal variations.
In the 14th century, the Spindel name appears in records from the city of Nuremberg, a major center of textile production in medieval Germany. Johann Spindel, a weaver, is documented in Nuremberg in 1347. This further reinforces the connection between the surname and the textile industry.
The Spindel surname is also found in other German-speaking regions during the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance period. For example, Hans Spindel, a merchant from Augsburg, is mentioned in a document from 1492. In the 16th century, the name appears in records from Switzerland, with Peter Spindel from Basel mentioned in a 1543 document.
One notable bearer of the Spindel name was Johann Spindler (1578-1644), a German Lutheran theologian and author from Nuremberg. He wrote several influential works on theology and biblical interpretation.
Another significant figure was Friedrich von Spindler (1778-1836), a German historian and writer from Bavaria. He is best known for his multi-volume work "Der Bayerische Erbfolgekrieg" (The Bavarian War of Succession), published between 1776 and 1778.
In the 19th century, Karl Spindler (1887-1951) was a German artist and painter from Munich, renowned for his landscapes and portraits.
While the Spindel surname is most commonly associated with Germany and German-speaking regions, it has also been found in other European countries, likely due to migration and cultural exchange over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Spindel
Among Census respondents with the surname Spindel, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Spindel 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 Spindel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.6% · 385
- Hispanic or Latino5.2% · 22
- Two or more races2.4% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 2
- Black or African American0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Spindel
Spindel 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
#46,902
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 453
-15 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 0.15
Rank movement Down 3,439 places
2020
#52,687
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 425
-28 bearers (-6.2%)
Per 100,000 0.14
Rank movement Down 5,785 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #43,463 | 468 | 0.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #46,902 | 453 | 0.15 | -15 bearers (-3.2%) | Down 3,439 places |
| 2020 | #52,687 | 425 | 0.14 | -28 bearers (-6.2%) | Down 5,785 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 Spindel 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 | #46,902 | #52,687 | -12.3% |
| Count | 453 | 425 | -6.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.15 | 0.14 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Spindel bearers went from 453 to 425 (-6.2% change). The surname moved down 5,785 positions in the national ranking, going from #46,902 to #52,687.
FAQ
Spindel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Spindel?
Name Census estimates that about 487 living Americans carry the surname Spindel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 703,808 residents.
How common is Spindel?
Spindel ranks #52,687 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.14 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 425 people with the surname Spindel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (487), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.14 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.14 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 Spindel.
Has Spindel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Spindel went from 453 recorded bearers to 425. That is a decrease of 28 (-6.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #46,902 to #52,687.
What does the Census say about the background of Spindel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Spindel, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Spindel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.6% (385 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Spindel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.6%), Hispanic (5.2%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Spindel (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 Spindel mean?
A surname derived from the German word for "spindle," likely referring to an occupation involving spinning 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 Spindel (0.14 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 Spindel?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Spindel? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.