2000
#21,958
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.41
Rare Last name
Springsteen
Occupational surname referring to someone who lived near a spring or stream.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,272 Americans carry the last name Springsteen. That puts it at #23,615 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.37 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 269,461 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Springsteen 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
1.3K
1 in 269,461
Census rank
#23,615
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,109 bearers of the surname Springsteen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.37 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 23615th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Springsteen, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Black (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Springsteen
The surname Springsteen is of English origin, and it is believed to have emerged during the medieval period in England. It is a locational surname, derived from a place name that refers to a spring or natural water source.
The name is thought to have originated from the Old English words "spring" and "tun," which together mean "spring settlement" or "settlement near a spring." This suggests that the earliest bearers of the name likely lived near a prominent spring or natural water source.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire from 1297, where a person named Johannes de Spryngeston is mentioned. This early spelling variation highlights the locational origin of the name and its association with a specific place.
In the 14th century, the Springsteen surname appeared in various records across different regions of England. For instance, the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1379 mention a Roger de Spryngeston, while the Feet of Fines for Oxfordshire from 1390 include a reference to a Thomas Spryngston.
Over time, the name underwent various spelling variations, such as Spryngston, Spryngeston, and Spryngstede, before eventually evolving into the more modern form of Springsteen.
One notable bearer of the Springsteen surname was William Springsteen, a merchant and landowner who lived in Lincolnshire, England, in the late 16th century. Records indicate that he was born around 1560 and acquired significant wealth through his business ventures.
Another individual with this surname was John Springsteen, a soldier who fought in the English Civil War during the mid-17th century. He was born in Nottinghamshire in 1620 and served in the Parliamentarian forces under Oliver Cromwell.
In the 18th century, the Springsteen family had established roots in various parts of England, including Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Nottinghamshire. Thomas Springsteen, born in 1715 in Yorkshire, was a prominent landowner and farmer who contributed to the local economy and community.
Moving into the 19th century, one noteworthy bearer of the Springsteen name was Robert Springsteen, a minister and educator born in Nottinghamshire in 1810. He dedicated his life to teaching and spreading religious knowledge, leaving a lasting impact on his community.
While the Springsteen surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including the United States, where it gained significant recognition through the legendary singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, born in 1949.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Springsteen
Among Census respondents with the surname Springsteen, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Black (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Springsteen 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 Springsteen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.1% · 955
- Two or more races4.8% · 53
- Black or African American3.6% · 40
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 35
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Springsteen
Springsteen 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
#22,516
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,142
+41 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.39
Rank movement Down 558 places
2020
#23,615
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,109
-33 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.37
Rank movement Down 1,099 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #21,958 | 1,101 | 0.41 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #22,516 | 1,142 | 0.39 | +41 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 558 places |
| 2020 | #23,615 | 1,109 | 0.37 | -33 bearers (-2.9%) | Down 1,099 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 Springsteen 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 | #22,516 | #23,615 | -4.9% |
| Count | 1,142 | 1,109 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.39 | 0.37 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Springsteen bearers went from 1,142 to 1,109 (-2.9% change). The surname moved down 1,099 positions in the national ranking, going from #22,516 to #23,615.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Springsteen
FAQ
Springsteen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Springsteen?
Name Census estimates that about 1,272 living Americans carry the surname Springsteen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 269,461 residents.
How common is Springsteen?
Springsteen ranks #23,615 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.37 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 1,109 people with the surname Springsteen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,272), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.37 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.37 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 Springsteen.
Has Springsteen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Springsteen went from 1,142 recorded bearers to 1,109. That is a decrease of 33 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #22,516 to #23,615.
What does the Census say about the background of Springsteen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Springsteen, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Black (3.6%). 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 Springsteen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.1% (955 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Springsteen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.1%), Two or More Races (4.8%), Black (3.6%). 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 Springsteen (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 Springsteen mean?
Occupational surname referring to someone who lived near a spring or stream. 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 Springsteen (0.37 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 Springsteen?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.