2000
#5,123
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,285
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.33
Rare Last name
Spiegel
A German and Jewish occupational surname referring to a maker of mirrors or a person who polishes metal.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,006 Americans carry the last name Spiegel. That puts it at #5,494 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 48,923 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Spiegel 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
7.0K
1 in 48,923
Census rank
#5,494
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,110 bearers of the surname Spiegel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5494th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Spiegel, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Spiegel
The surname Spiegel is of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word "spiegel," meaning "mirror." The name first emerged in the late 13th century and was likely an occupational name for a mirror maker or seller.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Spiegel can be found in various German records from the 14th and 15th centuries. For example, the name appears in the Bürgeraufnahmebuch (Citizen Registration Book) of the city of Augsburg in 1388, with the entry "Hans Spiegel."
Over time, the surname Spiegel spread beyond its initial regions of origin, such as Bavaria and Saxony, and became more widespread across German-speaking areas. Variations of the spelling included Spiegell, Spigel, and Speegel.
Historically, the Spiegel surname has been associated with several notable individuals. One of the earliest was Frau Spiegel, a 15th-century German mystic and author who wrote about her spiritual experiences. Another was Jakob Spiegel, a 16th-century German theologian and philosopher who published works on ethics and moral philosophy (c. 1483-1547).
In the 17th century, Adriaen van de Spiegel (1578-1625) was a Dutch poet and playwright known for his works in the Renaissance tradition. Gottlieb Spiegel (1719-1783) was a German mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of comets and planetary orbits.
Moving into the 19th century, Carl Spiegel (1868-1953) was a German-born American businessman who founded the Spiegel catalog company, a pioneering mail-order business that became a household name in the United States.
Throughout its history, the Spiegel surname has maintained its association with various professions, including mirror makers, glassworkers, and merchants, as well as scholars, writers, and artists. While its origins can be traced back to medieval Germany, the name has since spread globally, carried by generations of individuals with diverse backgrounds and accomplishments.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Spiegel
Among Census respondents with the surname Spiegel, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Spiegel 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 Spiegel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 5,666
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 205
- Two or more races2.4% · 145
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 51
- Black or African American0.5% · 32
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Spiegel
Spiegel 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
#5,488
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,338
+53 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 2.15
Rank movement Down 365 places
2020
#5,494
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,110
-228 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 2.04
Rank movement Down 6 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,123 | 6,285 | 2.33 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,488 | 6,338 | 2.15 | +53 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 365 places |
| 2020 | #5,494 | 6,110 | 2.04 | -228 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 6 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 Spiegel 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 | #5,488 | #5,494 | -0.1% |
| Count | 6,338 | 6,110 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.15 | 2.04 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Spiegel bearers went from 6,338 to 6,110 (-3.6% change). The surname moved down 6 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,488 to #5,494.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Spiegel
FAQ
Spiegel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Spiegel?
Name Census estimates that about 7,006 living Americans carry the surname Spiegel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 48,923 residents.
How common is Spiegel?
Spiegel ranks #5,494 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,110 people with the surname Spiegel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,006), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Spiegel.
Has Spiegel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Spiegel went from 6,338 recorded bearers to 6,110. That is a decrease of 228 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,488 to #5,494.
What does the Census say about the background of Spiegel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Spiegel, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Spiegel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (5,666 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Spiegel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.7%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Spiegel (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 Spiegel mean?
A German and Jewish occupational surname referring to a maker of mirrors or a person who polishes metal. 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 Spiegel (2.04 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 Spiegel?
Want to know how many people are called Spiegel? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.