2000
#127,948
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Sporman
A surname possibly derived from the Old English word "spor" meaning spur or track.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Sporman. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sporman 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Sporman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sporman, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Black (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sporman
The surname Sporman is believed to have originated in Germany, with early records dating back to the 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old Germanic words "spor" meaning "track" or "trail," and "mann" meaning "man." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who worked as a tracker, hunter, or guide.
One of the earliest known references to the surname Sporman can be found in the church records of the village of Löbau, in the German state of Saxony, where a certain Hans Sporman was listed as a resident in 1532. In the nearby town of Bautzen, there is a record of a Johann Sporman who was a miller in the late 16th century.
By the 17th century, the name had spread to other parts of Germany, with records showing Spormans living in the regions of Hesse and Brandenburg. In 1692, a Johann Sporman was recorded as a landowner in the town of Marburg, in the modern-day state of Hesse.
As the Sporman family continued to grow and disperse, they left their mark on various aspects of German history and culture. In the 18th century, a notable figure was Johann Friedrich Sporman (1705-1772), a respected theologian and author who served as a pastor in the town of Wolmirstedt, in what is now the state of Saxony-Anhalt.
Another prominent individual with the surname Sporman was Carl Friedrich Sporman (1798-1870), a German painter and lithographer who was known for his landscapes and architectural works. He was born in the town of Eckernförde, in the northern German region of Schleswig-Holstein.
Moving into the 19th century, the Sporman name continued to be associated with various professions and fields. In 1832, a Johann Sporman was recorded as a successful merchant in the city of Bremen, while in 1875, a Wilhelm Sporman was listed as a professor of mathematics at the University of Heidelberg.
One of the most remarkable figures to bear the Sporman name in more recent history was Erich Sporman (1888-1961), a German artist and architect who was influential in the Art Nouveau and Expressionist movements. His works, which included buildings, furniture designs, and intricate stained glass pieces, can still be seen in cities across Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sporman
Among Census respondents with the surname Sporman, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Black (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Sporman 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 Sporman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.1% · 95
- Two or more races3.9% · 4
- Black or African American2.0% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sporman
Sporman 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
-12 bearers (-9.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 20,399 places
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-9 bearers (-8.1%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 6,408 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,948 | 123 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-9.8%) | Down 20,399 places |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -9 bearers (-8.1%) | Down 6,408 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 Sporman 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 | #154,755 | -4.3% |
| Count | 111 | 102 | -8.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sporman bearers went from 111 to 102 (-8.1% change). The surname moved down 6,408 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #154,755.
FAQ
Sporman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sporman?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Sporman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Sporman?
Sporman ranks #154,755 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 102 people with the surname Sporman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), 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 Sporman.
Has Sporman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sporman went from 111 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 9 (-8.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #148,347 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Sporman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sporman, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Black (2.0%). 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 Sporman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sporman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.1%), Two or More Races (3.9%), Black (2.0%). 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 Sporman (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 Sporman mean?
A surname possibly derived from the Old English word "spor" meaning spur or track. 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 Sporman (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 people share the surname Sporman?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.