2000
#134,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Sponheim
A German surname derived from the town of Sponheim in Rhineland-Palatinate.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Sponheim. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sponheim 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Sponheim in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sponheim, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sponheim
The surname Sponheim originated in Germany and can be traced back to the 10th century. It is derived from the place name Sponheim, a town located in the Rhineland-Palatinate region of western Germany.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Sponheim can be found in medieval records and chronicles from the 11th and 12th centuries. The name is believed to have originated as a reference to individuals who hailed from the town of Sponheim or the surrounding area.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Sponheim was Konrad von Sponheim, who lived in the late 11th century and was a nobleman and vassal of the Holy Roman Empire. He held lands and titles in the region around Sponheim.
Another notable figure with the Sponheim surname was Gottfried von Sponheim, who lived in the 13th century and served as the Archbishop of Trier from 1283 to 1299. He played a significant role in the political and religious affairs of the region during his tenure.
In the 14th century, Johannes von Sponheim, a scholar and theologian, gained prominence for his contributions to the field of philosophy and his teachings at the University of Paris.
During the Renaissance period, the name Sponheim was associated with the arts and literature. Hans von Sponheim, born in 1510, was a renowned painter and artist who worked in the Baroque style and produced numerous religious works for churches and patrons throughout Germany.
In the 18th century, Friedrich von Sponheim, born in 1732, was a notable military leader and strategist who served in the Prussian army during the Seven Years' War. He was celebrated for his tactical prowess and leadership on the battlefield.
While the Sponheim surname has its roots in Germany, individuals bearing this name have migrated and settled in various parts of the world over the centuries, contributing to the rich tapestry of cultural diversity and leaving their mark on history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sponheim
Among Census respondents with the surname Sponheim, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Sponheim 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 Sponheim surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.9% · 107
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.6% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sponheim
Sponheim 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
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-5 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,310 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+3 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,852 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,037 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 14,310 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.7%) | Up 1,852 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 Sponheim 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 | #148,347 | #146,495 | 1.2% |
| Count | 111 | 114 | 2.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sponheim bearers went from 111 to 114 (+2.7% change). The surname moved up 1,852 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #146,495.
FAQ
Sponheim surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sponheim?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Sponheim. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Sponheim?
Sponheim ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Sponheim. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Sponheim.
Has Sponheim become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sponheim went from 111 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 3 (+2.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #148,347 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Sponheim?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sponheim, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%). 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 Sponheim in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.9% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sponheim appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%). 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 Sponheim (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 Sponheim mean?
A German surname derived from the town of Sponheim in Rhineland-Palatinate. 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 Sponheim (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 common is the surname Sponheim?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Sponheim, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.