Explore the Family Name Span
The meaning of Span
1. German: metonymic occupational name for a carpenter, a variant of Spahn. 2. German: nickname for a quarrelsome person, a variant of Spann. 3. Slovenian (Špan): from špan, a feudal status name for a serf chosen by an overlord to oversee other serfs and villeins working on the overlord’s estate. This was also a status name for a village headman. The word in both senses is ultimately derived from Slovenian/Slavic župan (see Zupan). 4. Slovenian (Špan): nickname from archaic špan ‘fellow, companion’, also ‘sweetheart’, a word of German (Bavarian) origin. 5. Czech (Špán): nickname for a thin man, from špán ‘wood chip’, a dialect word of German origin (see 7). 6. Slovak and Rusyn (from Slovakia) (Špan): historical status name from a Slavicized form of Hungarian ispán (itself a derivative of Slavic župan; see Zupan, compare 3 above), in old Hungary a title denoting the highest royal official standing at the head of the manor. 7. Jewish (Ashkenazic): nickname or artificial name from German Span ‘wood chip’.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Span in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname "Span" has seen a slight dip between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked as the 20,960th most common name in the U.S., but by 2010, it fell to the 22,144th position, marking a decrease of 5.65%. The total count of individuals with this last name also decreased marginally from 1,169 in 2000 to 1,167 in 2010, a change of -0.17%. Notably, the proportion of people named Span per 100,000 residents dropped by about 7%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #20,960 | #22,144 | -5.65% |
| Count | 1,169 | 1,167 | -0.17% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.43 | 0.4 | -6.98% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Span
In terms of ethnicity, the data from the Decennial U.S. Census indicates some shifts within the Span surname bearers between 2000 and 2010. The percentage of Span individuals identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander was at 1.88% in 2000, but the 2010 data was suppressed for privacy. There was an increase in those identifying as having two or more ethnic identities, rising from 2.22% to 4.28%. Meanwhile, the percentage of White descended individuals slightly declined from 40.03% to 38.82%, and the Black community also saw a small decrease from 54.58% to 53.13%. The Census reported a new appearance of Hispanic ethnic identity at 2.91% in 2010, while the percentage of American Indian and Alaskan Native remained suppressed for both years.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 54.58% | 53.13% | -2.66% |
| White | 40.03% | 38.82% | -3.02% |
| Two or More Races | 2.22% | 4.28% | 92.79% |
| Hispanic | 0% | 2.91% | 0% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 1.88% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |