Find out how popular the last name Spinner is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Spinner.

Spinner, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Spinner surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Spinner in America

Spinner is the 9503rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Spinner surname appeared 3,420 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Spinner.

We can also compare 2010 data for Spinner to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Spinner

The surname SPINNER has its origins in medieval Germany, dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old High German word "spinnan," meaning "to spin," and originally referred to someone who spun yarn or thread for a living. The name was likely first adopted as an occupational surname, identifying individuals by their trade or profession.

In the Middle Ages, spinning was a crucial household task, and skilled spinners were highly valued members of the community. The SPINNER surname would have been given to those who excelled at this craft, either within their own homes or as professional spinners working for textile manufacturers or guilds.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname SPINNER can be found in the Stadtbuch (city book) of Nürnberg, Germany, which dates back to 1347. The entry mentions a certain "Hanns der Spinner," indicating the presence of the name in this region during the 14th century.

As the surname spread across German-speaking lands, it took on various spellings, such as Spinnler, Spynner, and Spinnar. These variations reflect regional dialects and the inconsistencies in spelling that were common before the standardization of modern German orthography.

Notable individuals bearing the SPINNER surname include Johann Gottlob Spinner (1738-1784), a German theologian and philosopher who wrote extensively on ethics and moral philosophy. Another notable figure was Karl Spinner (1833-1911), a German architect responsible for designing several prominent buildings in Stuttgart, including the Neues Schloss (New Palace).

In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the SPINNER surname dates back to the 18th century. Johannes Spinner, born in 1720 in Germany, immigrated to Pennsylvania in 1749 and settled in the area now known as Berks County.

Another notable American with the SPINNER surname was Charles Peter Spinner (1826-1905), a Union Army officer during the American Civil War and later the Treasurer of the United States under President Ulysses S. Grant.

While the SPINNER surname is most commonly associated with its German origins, it has also been adopted by families in other parts of Europe, particularly in areas with strong textile traditions or German cultural influences.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Spinner

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Spinner.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Spinner was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Spinner has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Spinner was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Spinner, please contact us.

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