Explore the Family Name Spies

The meaning of Spies

1. German and Dutch: metonymic occupational name for a spear maker, from Middle High German spiez ‘spear, pike’, or an occupational name from the same word in the sense ‘soldier armed with a spear’. 2. German: habitational name from any of several places called Spies, in particular one near Nuremberg.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Spies in the United States?

According to the data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname "Spies" has seen a slight decrease between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, the surname was ranked 8,502 in terms of popularity. However, by 2010, it had dropped to the 9,279th position, marking a decrease of approximately 9.14%. Similarly, the count of individuals bearing this surname also slipped from 3,570 in 2000 to 3,508 in 2010, indicating a slight drop of about 1.74%. The proportion of individuals with the name "Spies" per 100,000 of the population also fell by around 9.85%.

20002010Change
Rank#8,502#9,279-9.14%
Count3,5703,508-1.74%
Proportion per 100k1.321.19-9.85%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Spies

Ethnic identity associated with the surname "Spies," based on the data from the Decennial U.S. Census, has shown some changes between 2000 and 2010. The majority of the individuals with this last name have predominantly identified as White, although the percentage saw a marginal decrease from 96.02% in 2000 to 95.35% in 2010. The number of those identifying as Hispanic saw an increase of 51.52%, going from 1.32% in 2000 to 2% in 2010. The percentage of those with multiple racial backgrounds also rose from 0.5% to 1.05%. However, the percentage identifying as Black saw a substantial dip, falling from 1.37% in 2000 to 0.80% in 2010. There were no recorded individuals identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander or American Indian and Alaskan Native in 2010, whereas small percentages were noted in 2000.

20002010Change
White96.02%95.35%-0.7%
Hispanic1.32%2%51.52%
Two or More Races0.5%1.05%110%
Black1.37%0.8%-41.61%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.56%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.22%0%0%

Spies ancestry composition

23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Spies is French & German, which comprises 39.7% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (34.0%) and Italian (5.6%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Scandinavian, Ashkenazi Jewish, Filipino & Austronesian, and Spanish & Portuguese.

Ready to learn more about your ancestry? Get the most comprehensive ancestry breakdown on the market by taking our DNA test. Shop 23andMe

ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
French & German39.7%
British & Irish34.0%
Italian5.6%
Other20.7%
Spies

Possible origins of the surname Spies

Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.

Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Spies have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom72.50%
West Midlands, United Kingdom72.50%
Greater London, United Kingdom72.50%
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom71.60%
Lancashire, United Kingdom71.60%

What Spies haplogroups can tell you

Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.

The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Spies is O-F2415, which is predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Haplogroup O-F2415 is descended from haplogroup O-M1359. Other common haplogroups include E-M183 and O-F2859, which are predominantly found among people with European and East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Spies surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

spiesPaternal Haplogroup Origins O-M1359
Paternal Haplo Image

Your paternal lineage may be linked to the Cham

One of the many populations harboring members of haplogroup O1b1a1a1a1 is the Cham ethnic group, a group of people who speak Austronesian languages in Mainland Southeast Asia. Austronesian languages make up a language family that is extremely large and widespread, comprising over 350 million people on islands such as Madagascar, Easter Island, and many others. However, Austronesian languages are less common on mainland Asia, with a notable exception being the Chamic language. Research suggests that ancestors of the Cham people migrated from Southeast Asian islands to the mainland around the year 500 BCE, and that early Cham populations quickly began mixing with indigenous southern Vietnamese populations. As a result, the Chamic language now has words that were borrowed from languages spoken by indigenous Vietnamese people. It is likely that an ancestral Kinh population was one of the populations that mixed with the Cham people shortly after their migration to mainland Asia.

Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette

Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Spies have in common?

Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.

Preferences

Spies

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Spies" Surname 53.3%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Spies

Misophonia

When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.

"Spies" Surname 32.0%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Spies

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Spies" Surname 16.3%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Spies

Migraine

A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

"Spies" Surname 19.0%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Spies?

The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.

Disease variant frequency by ancestry

Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Spies are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Y402H variant

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss among older adults. The disease results in damage to the central part of the retina (the macula), impairing vision needed for reading, driving, or even recognizing faces. The 23andMe Health + Ancestry DNA test includes the two most common variants associated with an increased risk of developing the condition: the Y402H variant in the CFH gene and the A69S variant in the ARMS2 gene. Learn more about Age-Related Macular Degeneration

French & German 60.8%

23andMe Users 57.2%