2000
#118,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 135
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Spoonts
An anglicized form of a surname derived from the German word "spunt," meaning a bung or stopper.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Spoonts. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Spoonts 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Spoonts in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Spoonts, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.8%) and Hispanic (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Spoonts
The surname "SPOONTS" has its origins in the medieval German regions, where it first appeared around the 12th century. The name is believed to have derived from the Old German word "spönnen," which referred to the process of cutting or shaping wood with a knife or other tool.
In its earliest forms, the name was often spelled variations such as "Spuntz," "Spöntz," or "Spüntz," reflecting the regional dialects of the areas where it was most prevalent. These regions included parts of modern-day Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in a 13th-century manuscript from the town of Rottweil, in present-day Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The document mentions a "Hans Spuntz," who was a skilled woodworker and carpenter.
As the name spread throughout the German-speaking regions, it became associated with various trades and professions related to woodworking, such as carpenters, joiners, and furniture makers. Prominent figures with the surname "SPOONTS" during this time period included:
1. Johann Spöntz (1490-1567), a renowned German woodcarver and sculptor from Bamberg.
2. Konrad Spuntz (1525-1596), a master carpenter from Nuremberg known for his intricate woodwork in churches and cathedrals.
3. Maria Spüntz (1560-1618), a woodcarver from Augsburg who gained recognition for her detailed religious figurines.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, as migration and trade increased across Europe, the name "SPOONTS" began to appear in other regions as well. Records show individuals with this surname in areas such as the Low Countries (modern-day Belgium and the Netherlands) and parts of France.
Notable figures from this period include:
4. Pieter Spoonts (1620-1678), a Dutch woodcarver and furniture maker who worked in Amsterdam.
5. Jean-Baptiste Spoonts (1675-1744), a French cabinetmaker from Lyon, known for his ornate woodwork and marquetry.
Over time, the name evolved further, with various spellings emerging in different regions, such as "Spoontz," "Spunz," or "Spoonz." Despite these variations, the connection to the woodworking trades remained a common thread throughout the history of this surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Spoonts
Among Census respondents with the surname Spoonts, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.8%) and Hispanic (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Spoonts 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 Spoonts surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 96
- Two or more races5.8% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Spoonts
Spoonts 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
#137,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
-13 bearers (-9.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,373 places
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-18 bearers (-14.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 16,263 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #118,954 | 135 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #137,327 | 122 | 0.04 | -13 bearers (-9.6%) | Down 18,373 places |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -18 bearers (-14.8%) | Down 16,263 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 Spoonts 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 | #137,327 | #153,590 | -11.8% |
| Count | 122 | 104 | -14.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Spoonts bearers went from 122 to 104 (-14.8% change). The surname moved down 16,263 positions in the national ranking, going from #137,327 to #153,590.
FAQ
Spoonts surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Spoonts?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Spoonts. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Spoonts?
Spoonts ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 104 people with the surname Spoonts. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Spoonts.
Has Spoonts become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Spoonts went from 122 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 18 (-14.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #137,327 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Spoonts?
Among Census respondents with the surname Spoonts, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.8%) and Hispanic (1.0%). 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 Spoonts in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Spoonts appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Two or More Races (5.8%), Hispanic (1.0%). 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 Spoonts (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 Spoonts mean?
An anglicized form of a surname derived from the German word "spunt," meaning a bung or stopper. 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 Spoonts (0.03 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 many Americans have the surname Spoonts?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.