2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Spinoza
A surname of Spanish origin, possibly derived from "espino" meaning thorny bush or bramble.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Spinoza. 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 Spinoza 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 Spinoza 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 Spinoza, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 74.6%. The next largest groups are White (22.9%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Spinoza
Among Census respondents with the surname Spinoza, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 74.6%. The next largest groups are White (22.9%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Spinoza 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 Spinoza surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino74.6% · 88
- White22.9% · 27
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Spinoza
Spinoza 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
#131,379
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
+16 bearers (+14.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,404 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-11 bearers (-8.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,132 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #131,379 | 129 | 0.04 | +16 bearers (+14.2%) | Up 5,404 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-8.5%) | Down 12,132 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 Spinoza 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 | #131,379 | #143,511 | -9.2% |
| Count | 129 | 118 | -8.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Spinoza bearers went from 129 to 118 (-8.5% change). The surname moved down 12,132 positions in the national ranking, going from #131,379 to #143,511.
FAQ
Spinoza surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Spinoza?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Spinoza. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Spinoza?
Spinoza 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 Spinoza. 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 Spinoza.
Has Spinoza become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Spinoza went from 129 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 11 (-8.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #131,379 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Spinoza?
Among Census respondents with the surname Spinoza, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 74.6%. The next largest groups are White (22.9%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Spinoza in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.6% (88 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Spinoza appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (74.6%), White (22.9%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Spinoza (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 Spinoza mean?
A surname of Spanish origin, possibly derived from "espino" meaning thorny bush or bramble. 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 Spinoza (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 Americans have the surname Spinoza?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.