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

Spohn, 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 Spohn surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Spohn in America

Spohn is the 10334th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Spohn surname appeared 3,117 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 Spohn.

We can also compare 2010 data for Spohn 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 Spohn

The surname Spohn has its origins in Germany, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 16th century. The name is derived from the German word "Spann," which refers to a span or measure of distance. It is believed to have been initially used as an occupational surname for those who worked as surveyors or land measurers.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Spohn surname can be found in the records of the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Bavaria, where a certain Hans Spohn was mentioned in a document from 1556. Another early reference to the name appears in the church records of Nürnberg, where a Johannes Spohn was recorded as a resident in 1589.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Spohn name spread across various regions of Germany, with notable individuals bearing the surname emerging in different professions. Johann Spohn (1559-1628), a Lutheran theologian and author, was born in Nuremberg and served as a pastor in several churches throughout his life.

In the 19th century, the Spohn name gained prominence in the academic and literary circles of Germany. Friedrich August Wilhelm Spohn (1792-1824) was a renowned classical scholar and philologist who made significant contributions to the study of ancient Greek and Latin texts. His works include critical editions of various classical authors and influential publications on philology.

Another notable figure was Gottlieb Ludwig Spohn (1786-1858), a German jurist and legal scholar who held professorships at various universities, including Göttingen and Leipzig. His writings on German civil law and legal theory were highly influential in his time.

Beyond Germany, the Spohn surname also found its way to other parts of Europe and eventually to North America through immigration. One example is Johann Georg Spohn (1816-1888), a German-American educator and author who immigrated to the United States in the mid-19th century. He served as a professor of German language and literature at various institutions, including the University of Missouri and the University of Kansas.

Throughout its history, the Spohn surname has been associated with individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions, ranging from academics and scholars to artists and professionals. While the name's origins can be traced back to Germany, it has since become a part of the cultural fabric of various communities around the world.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Spohn

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

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

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

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