2000
#131,366
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Spingarn
A surname indicating a place of origin, possibly derived from the town of Spangenberg in Germany.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Spingarn. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Spingarn 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Spingarn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Spingarn, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Spingarn
The surname Spingarn has its origins in Germany and dates back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the German word "Sping," which means "spring" or "fountain," often referring to a natural water source. The name may have originated from a place name or been a descriptive surname given to someone who lived near a spring or a fountain.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Spingarn surname can be found in the German city of Nürnberg (Nuremberg) in the late 1500s. The name appears in various municipal records and documents from that time period. Some variations of the spelling include Springarn, Springgarn, and Sprengarn.
In the late 17th century, a notable figure named Johann Spingarn (1648-1712) was a respected jurist and professor of law at the University of Heidelberg. He authored several legal treatises and was highly regarded in his field during his time.
Another prominent individual with the Spingarn surname was the American literary critic and educator Joel Elias Spingarn (1875-1939). He was a co-founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and played a significant role in promoting African American literature and arts. The Spingarn Medal, an annual award recognizing outstanding achievements by African Americans, was established in his honor.
In the 19th century, a branch of the Spingarn family migrated from Germany to the United States, settling in the state of Ohio. One notable member of this branch was Arthur B. Spingarn (1878-1971), a lawyer and civil rights activist who served as the president of the NAACP from 1939 to 1965.
The Spingarn name can also be traced back to the town of Spingarn in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, which may have been the place of origin for some individuals bearing this surname. The town's name is derived from the Slavic word "žrebec," meaning "stallion," and may have been associated with horse breeding or trading activities in the area.
Throughout its history, the Spingarn surname has been carried by individuals from various professions, including academics, lawyers, activists, and writers, making notable contributions in their respective fields.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Spingarn
Among Census respondents with the surname Spingarn, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Spingarn 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 Spingarn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.1% · 96
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Spingarn
Spingarn 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
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-3 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,783 places
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-14 bearers (-12.1%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 11,606 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #131,366 | 119 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.5%) | Down 11,783 places |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -14 bearers (-12.1%) | Down 11,606 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 Spingarn 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 | #143,149 | #154,755 | -8.1% |
| Count | 116 | 102 | -12.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Spingarn bearers went from 116 to 102 (-12.1% change). The surname moved down 11,606 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #154,755.
FAQ
Spingarn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Spingarn?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Spingarn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Spingarn?
Spingarn ranks #154,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 102 people with the surname Spingarn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Spingarn.
Has Spingarn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Spingarn went from 116 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 14 (-12.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Spingarn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Spingarn, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Spingarn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.1% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Spingarn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.1%), Hispanic (3.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Spingarn (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 Spingarn mean?
A surname indicating a place of origin, possibly derived from the town of Spangenberg in Germany. 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 Spingarn (0.03 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 share the surname Spingarn?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.