2000
#2,806
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,749
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.36
Uncommon Last name
Speer
A German occupational surname referring to a maker of spears or lances.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,844 Americans carry the last name Speer. That puts it at #3,138 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 26,686 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Speer 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Speer with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 26,686
Census rank
#3,138
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,201 bearers of the surname Speer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3138th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Speer, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Speer
The surname Speer has its origins traced back to Germany, with records dating as far back as the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "sper," which means "spear" or "lance," suggesting a connection to a warrior or soldier.
During the medieval period, the name was primarily concentrated in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony, where it was often associated with individuals involved in military or knightly pursuits. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in a document from 1284, which mentions a certain "Heinrich Speer" residing in the town of Nuremberg.
Notable historical figures bearing the surname Speer include Johann Joachim Speer, a German mathematician and astronomer born in 1595, who made significant contributions to the field of astronomy during the 17th century. Another prominent individual was Johann Speer, a German painter and engraver active in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, renowned for his intricate woodcut prints.
The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land and property ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname Speer. However, it is worth noting that the name's German origin suggests it was likely introduced to England at a later period, potentially through migration or military service.
In the 19th century, one of the most notable figures bearing the surname Speer was Albert Speer, a German architect and Minister of Armaments and War Production for Nazi Germany during World War II. Born in 1905 and executed in 1981, Speer's involvement in the Nazi regime and his subsequent trial at Nuremberg made him a controversial figure in history.
Another individual of historical significance was Daniel Speer, a German composer and organist active in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. His works, including a collection of organ pieces titled "Musicalische Rüstkammer," were highly regarded during his time and contributed to the development of German baroque music.
The name Speer has also been associated with various place names throughout Germany, such as Speergraben and Speerdorf, which may have influenced or derived from the surname itself. Additionally, variations in spelling, such as Spehr and Speer, have been documented over the centuries, reflecting regional dialects and linguistic evolution.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Speer
Among Census respondents with the surname Speer, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Speer 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 Speer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.2% · 9,880
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 538
- Two or more races3.8% · 428
- Black or African American1.9% · 211
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 82
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 62
Timeline
Historical Census data for Speer
Speer 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
#3,041
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,770
+21 bearers (+0.2%)
Per 100,000 3.99
Rank movement Down 235 places
2020
#3,138
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,201
-569 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 3.75
Rank movement Down 97 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,806 | 11,749 | 4.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,041 | 11,770 | 3.99 | +21 bearers (+0.2%) | Down 235 places |
| 2020 | #3,138 | 11,201 | 3.75 | -569 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 97 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 Speer 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 | #3,041 | #3,138 | -3.2% |
| Count | 11,770 | 11,201 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 3.99 | 3.75 | -6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Speer bearers went from 11,770 to 11,201 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 97 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,041 to #3,138.
FAQ
Speer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Speer?
Name Census estimates that about 12,844 living Americans carry the surname Speer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 26,686 residents.
How common is Speer?
Speer ranks #3,138 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.75 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,201 people with the surname Speer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,844), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.75 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Speer.
Has Speer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Speer went from 11,770 recorded bearers to 11,201. That is a decrease of 569 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,041 to #3,138.
What does the Census say about the background of Speer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Speer, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Speer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.2% (9,880 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Speer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.2%), Hispanic (4.8%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Speer (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 Speer mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a maker of spears or lances. 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 Speer (3.75 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 are called Speer?
Find out how many people are called Speer on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.