Find out how popular the last name Spain is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Spain.

Spain, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Spain surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Spain in America

Spain is the 3093rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Spain surname appeared 11,628 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Spain.

We can also compare 2010 data for Spain to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Spain

The surname Spain is derived from the name of the country Spain, which in turn comes from the Latin word "Hispania". This name is believed to have originated from the Phoenician word "I-shpan-im" meaning "land of rabbits".

The name first appeared in England in the 12th century, referring to someone who had come from Spain or who had connections with that country. It is possible that the name was brought to England by Normans who had ties to Spain.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1199, where a Nicholas de Ispania is mentioned. The "de" prefix in this entry suggests that the name was originally a locational surname, denoting someone from Spain.

In the 13th century, the surname is found in various forms such as Despayne, Despaigne, and Despayne. These spellings reflect the linguistic evolution of the name as it adapted to the English language.

A notable bearer of the name was Sir Ralph de Spayne, a knight who fought in the Battle of Falkirk in 1298. He was granted lands in Scotland by King Edward I for his service.

Another early bearer of the name was John de Spayne, who was appointed as the first Keeper of the Wardrobe for King Edward III in 1327.

In the 15th century, the surname appears in the form of Spayn, as seen in the records of John Spayn, a merchant from Bristol who traded with Spain in 1472.

One of the most famous bearers of the name was Edmund Spenser, the renowned English poet who lived from 1552 to 1599. Although the spelling of his surname differs slightly from Spain, it is believed to have originated from the same root.

Another notable figure was John Spain, a Catholic priest and martyr who was executed in 1592 for his religious beliefs during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

The surname Spain has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Spayne Hall in Lincolnshire and Spayne Court in Devon, reflecting the migration and settlement patterns of those bearing the name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Spain

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Spain.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Spain was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Spain has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Spain was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Spain, please contact us.

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