2000
#5,035
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,395
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.37
Rare Last name
Spitzer
A German occupational surname referring to a person who made pointed weapons or tools, such as spears or arrows.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,086 Americans carry the last name Spitzer. That puts it at #4,855 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.36 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 42,389 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Spitzer 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Spitzer with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.1K
1 in 42,389
Census rank
#4,855
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,051 bearers of the surname Spitzer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.36 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4855th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Spitzer, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Spitzer
The surname Spitzer originates from Germany, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is derived from the German word "Spitz," meaning "pointed" or "sharp," which was likely used to describe someone with a distinctive physical feature or occupation. The name was initially found in various regions of Germany, including Bavaria, Saxony, and Prussia.
One of the earliest known references to the name Spitzer can be found in the Kirchenbücher (church records) of Saxony, dating back to the mid-16th century. These records often mentioned individuals with the surname Spitzer, along with their occupations, such as tailors, blacksmiths, or shoemakers.
In the 17th century, the Spitzer surname began appearing in various historical documents, including tax records and land registries. For instance, in 1672, a record from the town of Freiburg im Breisgau mentions a Michael Spitzer, a respected craftsman and landowner.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, as urbanization increased, the Spitzer name became more widespread across Germany and neighboring countries. Notable individuals with this surname include Johann Spitzer (1786-1858), a German composer and violinist, and Carl Spitzer (1821-1888), a renowned German-Austrian architect known for his work on the Vienna State Opera House.
As German immigrants began to settle in other parts of the world, the Spitzer surname traveled with them. In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the 1790 census, where a Johann Spitzer was listed as a resident of Pennsylvania.
Other notable individuals with the Spitzer surname include:
1. Lyman Spitzer (1914-1997), an American theoretical physicist and astrophysicist, known for his contributions to the field of stellar dynamics and his role in the development of the Hubble Space Telescope.
2. Eliot Spitzer (born 1959), an American lawyer and politician who served as the 63rd Governor of New York from 2007 to 2008.
3. Serge Spitzer (1951-2023), a Russian-American billionaire and businessman, founder of the Spitzer Engineering Corporation.
4. Ralph Spitzer (1921-2010), an American lawyer and philanthropist, known for his support of educational institutions and civil rights organizations.
5. Arnon Spitzer (born 1965), an Israeli mathematician and professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, known for his work in probability theory and stochastic processes.
While the Spitzer surname has its roots in Germany, it has since spread across the globe, with individuals bearing this name making significant contributions in various fields, from science and academia to politics and business.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Spitzer
Among Census respondents with the surname Spitzer, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Spitzer 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 Spitzer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.4% · 6,586
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 221
- Two or more races2.4% · 171
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 38
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 19
- Black or African American0.2% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Spitzer
Spitzer 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
#5,002
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,027
+632 bearers (+9.9%)
Per 100,000 2.38
Rank movement Up 33 places
2020
#4,855
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,051
+24 bearers (+0.3%)
Per 100,000 2.36
Rank movement Up 147 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,035 | 6,395 | 2.37 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,002 | 7,027 | 2.38 | +632 bearers (+9.9%) | Up 33 places |
| 2020 | #4,855 | 7,051 | 2.36 | +24 bearers (+0.3%) | Up 147 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 Spitzer 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 | #5,002 | #4,855 | 2.9% |
| Count | 7,027 | 7,051 | 0.3% |
| Per 100K | 2.38 | 2.36 | -0.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Spitzer bearers went from 7,027 to 7,051 (+0.3% change). The surname moved up 147 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,002 to #4,855.
FAQ
Spitzer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Spitzer?
Name Census estimates that about 8,086 living Americans carry the surname Spitzer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 42,389 residents.
How common is Spitzer?
Spitzer ranks #4,855 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.36 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,051 people with the surname Spitzer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,086), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.36 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.36 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Spitzer.
Has Spitzer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Spitzer went from 7,027 recorded bearers to 7,051. That is an increase of 24 (+0.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,002 to #4,855.
What does the Census say about the background of Spitzer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Spitzer, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Spitzer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (6,586 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Spitzer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.4%), Hispanic (3.1%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Spitzer (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 Spitzer mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a person who made pointed weapons or tools, such as spears or arrows. 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 Spitzer (2.36 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 Spitzer?
Find out how common the surname Spitzer is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.