Sparks
Small fiery particles that fly off burning materials.
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Sparks. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Sparks today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sparks births was 1920 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sparks. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Sparks. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1920
5 babies that year
Average age
-
1920 SSA rank
#4,895
Tracked since 1920
Popularity
Sparks: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Sparks by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Sparks during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Sparks
The name Sparks is an English surname that originated as a descriptive nickname for someone with a fiery or spirited personality. It is derived from the Middle English word "sparke," which means a small, fiery particle or a spark of fire. The earliest recorded use of the name Sparks as a surname dates back to the late 13th century in England.
While the name Sparks is primarily associated with its use as a surname, there are instances where it has been adopted as a given name. One of the earliest known individuals to bear the name Sparks as a first name was Sparks Moriah, an American soldier who fought in the Revolutionary War. He was born in 1760 in Virginia and served in the Continental Army under General George Washington.
Another notable figure with the first name Sparks was Sparks Woodhull, an American soldier and politician born in 1804 in New York. He served in the New York State Assembly and was a brigadier general in the Union Army during the American Civil War.
In the realm of literature, Sparks Derryberry was an American writer and educator born in 1846 in Tennessee. He authored several books, including "The Sparks Family in America" and "Sparks from a Backlog."
Moving into the 20th century, Sparks Mauney was an American baseball player born in 1903 in North Carolina. He played in the Major Leagues as a pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies and the Chicago Cubs in the late 1920s.
More recently, Sparks Arnfred Humphreys was a British musician and composer born in 1929 in London. He was known for his work in the fields of experimental and electronic music, and he collaborated with notable artists such as Brian Eno and David Bowie.
While the name Sparks is relatively uncommon as a first name, these examples illustrate its usage throughout various periods and contexts. The name's association with fire, energy, and spirit has likely contributed to its adoption as a given name, even if its primary use remains as a surname.
People
Sparks + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sparks as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Sparks: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sparks?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sparks going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about - US residents.
Is Sparks a common name?
We classify Sparks as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sparks most popular?
The single biggest year for Sparks was 1920, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sparks is about 0 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Sparks in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Sparks a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Sparks in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Sparks still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Sparks in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Sparks can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many Americans are named Sparks?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.