2000
#22,555
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,064
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.39
Rare Last name
Space
An English locational surname indicating the person came from an open area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,169 Americans carry the last name Space. That puts it at #25,434 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.34 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 293,203 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Space 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
1.2K
1 in 293,203
Census rank
#25,434
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,019 bearers of the surname Space in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.34 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 25434th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Space, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.4%. The next largest groups are Black (13.1%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Space
The surname "Space" is of English origin and can be traced back to the late 16th century. It is derived from the Old English word "spaec," which means "patch of land" or "clearing." This name likely originated as a descriptive term for someone who lived on or near an open space or clearing in a forested area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Astbury, Cheshire, England, where a Richard Space was mentioned in 1593. In the 17th century, the name appeared in various spellings such as "Spache" and "Spatch" in various records from counties like Derbyshire and Staffordshire.
The Domesday Book, a detailed survey of landowners commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname "Space." However, it does mention several place names that may have contributed to the development of the surname, such as "Spachestone" (now known as Spachtown) in Leicestershire.
One notable bearer of the name was John Space (1628-1703), an English clergyman and author who served as the rector of Bocking in Essex. Another was William Space (1723-1795), a prominent London merchant and philanthropist who supported various charitable causes during his lifetime.
In the 19th century, the name gained some prominence with individuals like Thomas Space (1818-1892), a successful businessman and industrialist from Birmingham, and Elizabeth Space (1842-1920), a renowned educator and advocate for women's rights who founded the Space Academy for Girls in London.
Other notable individuals with the surname "Space" include Joseph Space (1879-1942), a British explorer who led expeditions to the Arctic regions, and Emily Space (1907-1989), an acclaimed American novelist and playwright whose works explored themes of social injustice and racial inequality.
While the surname "Space" is not among the most common surnames globally, it has a rich history and has been borne by individuals from various walks of life throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Space
Among Census respondents with the surname Space, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.4%. The next largest groups are Black (13.1%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Space 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 Space surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.4% · 799
- Black or African American13.1% · 133
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 43
- Two or more races2.9% · 30
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Space
Space 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
#25,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 992
-72 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 0.34
Rank movement Down 2,482 places
2020
#25,434
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,019
+27 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.34
Rank movement Down 397 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #22,555 | 1,064 | 0.39 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #25,037 | 992 | 0.34 | -72 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 2,482 places |
| 2020 | #25,434 | 1,019 | 0.34 | +27 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 397 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 Space 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 | #25,037 | #25,434 | -1.6% |
| Count | 992 | 1,019 | 2.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.34 | 0.34 | 0.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Space bearers went from 992 to 1,019 (+2.7% change). The surname moved down 397 positions in the national ranking, going from #25,037 to #25,434.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Space
FAQ
Space surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Space?
Name Census estimates that about 1,169 living Americans carry the surname Space. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 293,203 residents.
How common is Space?
Space ranks #25,434 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.34 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 1,019 people with the surname Space. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,169), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.34 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.34 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 Space.
Has Space become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Space went from 992 recorded bearers to 1,019. That is an increase of 27 (+2.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #25,037 to #25,434.
What does the Census say about the background of Space?
Among Census respondents with the surname Space, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.4%. The next largest groups are Black (13.1%) and Hispanic (4.2%). 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 Space in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.4% (799 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Space appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.4%), Black (13.1%), Hispanic (4.2%). 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 Space (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 Space mean?
An English locational surname indicating the person came from an open area. 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 Space (0.34 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 people have the surname Space?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.