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

Spivak, 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 Spivak surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Spivak in America

Spivak is the 18007th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Spivak surname appeared 1,550 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 Spivak.

We can also compare 2010 data for Spivak 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 Spivak

The surname Spivak is of Russian origin, derived from the occupation of a piper or fife player. It is believed to have originated in the 16th or 17th century, as the first recorded instances of the name date back to that time period.

The name is derived from the Russian word "svirel," which means "pipe" or "flute." The suffix "-ak" was added to form the surname, indicating a person who played the pipe or flute. This occupation was common in medieval Russia, where pipers and musicians were often employed by noblemen and royalty.

One of the earliest known references to the name Spivak can be found in the Revizskiye Skazki, a census-like record kept by the Russian Imperial government in the 18th century. The Revizskiye Skazki contains several entries of people with the surname Spivak, indicating that the name was already well-established by that time.

In the 19th century, the name Spivak became more widespread, with several notable individuals bearing the surname. One of the most prominent was Mikhail Spivak (1819-1890), a Russian writer and journalist who published several works on Russian history and culture.

Another notable figure was Grigory Spivak (1855-1924), a Russian economist and statistician who made significant contributions to the study of economic cycles and price fluctuations. He is considered one of the pioneers of modern economic analysis in Russia.

In the 20th century, the name Spivak continued to be associated with notable individuals, particularly in the fields of academia and literature. Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak (born 1942) is a renowned literary theorist, philosopher, and University Professor at Columbia University, known for her work on postcolonialism and feminism.

Michael Spivak (born 1940) is a distinguished American mathematician and author of several influential textbooks on mathematics, including the widely-used "Calculus" and "The Hitchhiker's Guide to Calculus."

Another prominent figure with the surname Spivak is Boris Spivak (1909-1980), a Soviet chess player and International Grandmaster who competed in numerous international tournaments during the mid-20th century.

While the name Spivak is most commonly associated with Russia and its diaspora, it has also been adopted by individuals of other backgrounds over time, reflecting the global movement of people and the cultural exchange that has occurred throughout history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Spivak

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

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

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

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