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

Spinoza, 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 Spinoza surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Spinoza in America

Spinoza is the 131379th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Spinoza surname appeared 129 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Spinoza.

We can also compare 2010 data for Spinoza 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 Spinoza

The surname Spinoza originates from Spain and Portugal during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Spanish word "espino," meaning "thorn bush" or "thornbush," and the suffix "-oza," indicating an abundance or similarity to something. The name likely referred to someone who lived near or worked with thornbushes.

Early records of the surname Spinoza can be found in medieval Spanish and Portuguese documents, with variations in spelling such as Espinosa, Spinoza, and Espinoza. The name is believed to have been brought to the Netherlands by Sephardic Jews who fled the Iberian Peninsula during the Inquisition in the 15th and 16th centuries.

One of the earliest and most famous individuals with the surname Spinoza was Baruch Spinoza (1632-1677), a Dutch philosopher of Portuguese-Jewish descent, who is considered one of the most important thinkers of the Enlightenment. His seminal work, "Ethics," laid the foundations for modern rationalism and secularism.

Another notable bearer of the name was Michał Spinoza (1801-1854), a Polish economist and agronomist who made significant contributions to the field of agricultural economics and rural development. He was a proponent of agrarian reforms and advocated for the emancipation of serfs in Poland.

In the 19th century, Ignacio Spinoza (1825-1891) was a prominent Venezuelan politician and lawyer who served as the President of Venezuela from 1885 to 1888. He played a crucial role in the political and social development of the country during that period.

Esther Spinoza (1869-1946) was a Dutch-Jewish writer and poet whose work focused on Jewish themes and the experiences of women. She was a prominent figure in the Dutch literary scene of the early 20th century.

The name Spinoza has also been associated with the field of medicine. One notable figure was Antonio Spinoza (1924-2003), an Italian physician and researcher who made significant contributions to the study of cardiovascular diseases and the development of new treatments.

While the surname Spinoza originated in the Iberian Peninsula, it has since spread to various parts of the world, carried by individuals of Sephardic Jewish and Spanish or Portuguese descent. The name continues to be a testament to the rich cultural heritage and diverse origins of those who bear it.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Spinoza

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

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 Spinoza 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 Spinoza 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 Spinoza was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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