2000
#9,422
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,165
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.17
Rare Last name
Spitler
Derived from the German occupational surname "Spindler," referring to a maker or seller of spindles used in spinning.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,319 Americans carry the last name Spitler. That puts it at #10,574 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.97 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 103,270 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Spitler 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
3.3K
1 in 103,270
Census rank
#10,574
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,894 bearers of the surname Spitler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.97 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10574th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Spitler, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Spitler
The surname Spitler is of German origin, and it is believed to have originated in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony during the late medieval period. The name is derived from the German word "Spittel," which means "hospital" or "hospice." It is likely that the name was initially given to someone who worked or lived near a hospital or a hospice.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Spitler can be found in the historical records of the city of Nuremberg, where a man named Hans Spitler was mentioned in the city's tax records in the year 1495. This suggests that the name had already been established in the region by the late 15th century.
In the 16th century, the name Spitler began to spread beyond the German-speaking regions as people migrated to other parts of Europe. For instance, in the Netherlands, there are records of a man named Pieter Spitler who lived in Amsterdam in the early 1600s.
Another notable figure with the surname Spitler was Johann Spitler, a German theologian and author who lived from 1690 to 1756. He was a prominent figure in the Lutheran church and wrote several influential works on theology and church history.
In the 18th century, the name Spitler made its way across the Atlantic Ocean to the American colonies. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in America was that of Jacob Spitler, who was born in Pennsylvania in 1745. He served as a soldier in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.
Another significant figure with the surname Spitler was Robert Ruby Spitler, an American inventor and businessman who lived from 1859 to 1941. He is best known for his contributions to the development of the typewriter and the adding machine.
In the 20th century, the name Spitler continued to be carried by notable individuals, such as William Spitler, an American actor who appeared in several films and television shows during the 1950s and 1960s.
Overall, the surname Spitler has a rich history that spans several centuries and multiple continents. While its origins can be traced back to medieval Germany, the name has since spread to various parts of the world and has been associated with individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Spitler
Among Census respondents with the surname Spitler, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Spitler 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 Spitler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 2,682
- Two or more races3.1% · 90
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 82
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 21
- Black or African American0.4% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Spitler
Spitler 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
#10,615
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,016
-149 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 1.02
Rank movement Down 1,193 places
2020
#10,574
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,894
-122 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.97
Rank movement Up 41 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,422 | 3,165 | 1.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,615 | 3,016 | 1.02 | -149 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 1,193 places |
| 2020 | #10,574 | 2,894 | 0.97 | -122 bearers (-4.0%) | Up 41 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 Spitler 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 | #10,615 | #10,574 | 0.4% |
| Count | 3,016 | 2,894 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.02 | 0.97 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Spitler bearers went from 3,016 to 2,894 (-4.0% change). The surname moved up 41 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,615 to #10,574.
FAQ
Spitler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Spitler?
Name Census estimates that about 3,319 living Americans carry the surname Spitler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 103,270 residents.
How common is Spitler?
Spitler ranks #10,574 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.97 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,894 people with the surname Spitler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,319), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.97 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.97 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Spitler.
Has Spitler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Spitler went from 3,016 recorded bearers to 2,894. That is a decrease of 122 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,615 to #10,574.
What does the Census say about the background of Spitler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Spitler, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Spitler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (2,682 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Spitler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.7%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Spitler (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 Spitler mean?
Derived from the German occupational surname "Spindler," referring to a maker or seller of spindles used in spinning. 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 Spitler (0.97 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 Spitler?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Spitler on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.