UK surname

Spitzer

A German occupational surname referring to a person who made pointed weapons or tools, such as spears or arrows.

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Hackney, Gateshead and Haringey.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Spitzer is 182 in 2016. Compared with 1881, the name has changed.

1881 census count

Modern count

182

2016, ranked #20,890

Peak year

2016

182 bearers

Map years

1998 to 2016

Key insights

• The latest modern count shown here is 182 in 2016, ranked #20,890.
• Within the historical census years, the highest count was 24 in 1911.
• The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Multicultural Inner Suburbs.

Map

Spitzer surname distribution map

The map shows where the Spitzer surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Spitzer surname density by area, 2016 modern.

Year

Loading map

Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Spitzer over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year	Period	Count	Rank
1851	historical	1	#33,412
1891	historical	7	#33,665
1901	historical	22	#31,562
1911	historical	24	#30,800
1997	modern	106	#26,057
1998	modern	117	#25,190
1999	modern	115	#25,620
2000	modern	112	#25,978
2001	modern	112	#25,644
2002	modern	123	#24,735
2003	modern	127	#24,019
2004	modern	126	#24,335
2005	modern	134	#23,406
2006	modern	134	#23,590
2007	modern	137	#23,590
2008	modern	142	#23,270
2009	modern	147	#23,248
2010	modern	157	#22,800
2011	modern	159	#22,382
2012	modern	159	#22,361
2013	modern	170	#21,726
2014	modern	178	#21,259
2015	modern	178	#21,149
2016	modern	182	#20,890

Geography

Where Spitzers are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around No data. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Hackney, Gateshead, Haringey, Salford and Barnet. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank	Parish	Area
1	No data	No data

Top modern areas

Rank	Area	District
1	Hackney 003	Hackney
2	Gateshead 008	Gateshead
3	Haringey 029	Haringey
4	Salford 010	Salford
5	Barnet 037	Barnet

Forenames

First names often paired with Spitzer

These lists show first names that appear often with the Spitzer surname in historical and recent records.

Historical female names

No Forenames Found

Historical male names

No Forenames Found

Recent female names

Rachel Esther Cecilia Miriam Elizabeth Sarah Chaya Lily Michaela Lieselotte

Recent male names

Michael David John Abraham Jacob Samuel Adolf Karl Gary Moshe

Modern profile

Neighbourhood profile for Spitzer

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Spitzer, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Baseline UK

Group

Multicultural Inner Suburbs

Nationally, the Spitzer surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Multicultural Inner Suburbs, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Spitzer household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods house many younger and middle-aged adults with children. All ethnic minorities, apart from those identifying as Pakistani or Bangladeshi, appear to be present in above average proportions. Affiliation to Christian religions is uncommon. Long-term disability rates are low, mirrored in limited provision of unpaid care. Privately rented terrace houses and flats are the norm. Managerial, professional and technical occupations are prevalent, and work is rarely part time. Many individuals have degree level qualifications. These areas form the inner suburbs of many of the UK’s towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Spitzer is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Spitzer is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Spitzer falls in decile 3 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Spitzer is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate: White - Other

This describes the area pattern most associated with Spitzer, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Origin

Meaning and origin of Spitzer

The surname Spitzer originates from Germany, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is derived from the German word "Spitz," meaning "pointed" or "sharp," which was likely used to describe someone with a distinctive physical feature or occupation. The name was initially found in various regions of Germany, including Bavaria, Saxony, and Prussia.

One of the earliest known references to the name Spitzer can be found in the Kirchenbücher (church records) of Saxony, dating back to the mid-16th century. These records often mentioned individuals with the surname Spitzer, along with their occupations, such as tailors, blacksmiths, or shoemakers.

In the 17th century, the Spitzer surname began appearing in various historical documents, including tax records and land registries. For instance, in 1672, a record from the town of Freiburg im Breisgau mentions a Michael Spitzer, a respected craftsman and landowner.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, as urbanization increased, the Spitzer name became more widespread across Germany and neighboring countries. Notable individuals with this surname include Johann Spitzer (1786-1858), a German composer and violinist, and Carl Spitzer (1821-1888), a renowned German-Austrian architect known for his work on the Vienna State Opera House.

As German immigrants began to settle in other parts of the world, the Spitzer surname traveled with them. In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the 1790 census, where a Johann Spitzer was listed as a resident of Pennsylvania.

Other notable individuals with the Spitzer surname include:

1. Lyman Spitzer (1914-1997), an American theoretical physicist and astrophysicist, known for his contributions to the field of stellar dynamics and his role in the development of the Hubble Space Telescope.

2. Eliot Spitzer (born 1959), an American lawyer and politician who served as the 63rd Governor of New York from 2007 to 2008.

3. Serge Spitzer (1951-2023), a Russian-American billionaire and businessman, founder of the Spitzer Engineering Corporation.

4. Ralph Spitzer (1921-2010), an American lawyer and philanthropist, known for his support of educational institutions and civil rights organizations.

5. Arnon Spitzer (born 1965), an Israeli mathematician and professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, known for his work in probability theory and stochastic processes.

While the Spitzer surname has its roots in Germany, it has since spread across the globe, with individuals bearing this name making significant contributions in various fields, from science and academia to politics and business.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

FAQ

Spitzer surname: questions and answers

How common is the Spitzer surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 182 in 2016. That gives Spitzer a modern rank of #20,890.

What does the Spitzer surname mean?