2000
#147,095
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Spale
An English surname possibly derived from a variant spelling of the word "spale" meaning a splinter or split piece of wood.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Spale. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Spale 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Spale in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Spale, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.0%) and Hispanic (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Spale
The surname SPALE is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be a locational name, derived from a place called Spall or Spale, which was likely a small village or hamlet situated in one of the English counties. The name may have evolved from the Old English words "spæl" meaning "a chip of wood" or "spæle" meaning "a splinter."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the SPALE surname can be found in the Feet of Fines records for Yorkshire in 1379, where a certain William Spayle is mentioned. The Feet of Fines were legal documents used to record land transactions and property transfers during the medieval era.
In the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1524, a Thomas Spale is listed as a taxpayer, indicating that the family had established a presence in that region by the 16th century. The Subsidy Rolls were records of taxes levied on personal property and income.
During the reign of King Henry VIII in the 16th century, a notable figure named John SPALE served as a member of the King's Guard. He was born around 1490 and is believed to have been from a family of minor gentry in the county of Kent.
In the 17th century, a well-known philosopher and mathematician named William SPALE (1628-1704) made significant contributions to the field of natural philosophy. He was born in Lincolnshire and is considered one of the earliest proponents of the scientific method.
Another notable individual with the SPALE surname was Sir Robert SPALE (1745-1823), a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars. He was born in Devonshire and rose to the rank of Admiral in the Royal Navy.
The SPALE surname has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Spaldwick in Cambridgeshire, which was formerly known as "Spaldeswic" in the Domesday Book of 1086. Similarly, the village of Spaldington in Yorkshire may have derived its name from a combination of the Old English words "spald" meaning "a splinter" and "ing" meaning "meadow or settlement."
While the SPALE surname is relatively uncommon today, it has a rich history that spans several centuries and is deeply rooted in the English landscape and language.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Spale
Among Census respondents with the surname Spale, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.0%) and Hispanic (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Spale 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 Spale surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.0% · 91
- Two or more races9.0% · 10
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Spale
Spale 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
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-3 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 13,880 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+11 bearers (+11.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 12,310 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #147,095 | 103 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | -3 bearers (-2.9%) | Down 13,880 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+11.0%) | Up 12,310 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 Spale 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 | #160,975 | #148,665 | 7.6% |
| Count | 100 | 111 | 11.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 23.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Spale bearers went from 100 to 111 (+11.0% change). The surname moved up 12,310 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #148,665.
FAQ
Spale surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Spale?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Spale. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Spale?
Spale ranks #148,665 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 111 people with the surname Spale. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Spale.
Has Spale become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Spale went from 100 recorded bearers to 111. That is an increase of 11 (+11.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Spale?
Among Census respondents with the surname Spale, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.0%) and Hispanic (4.5%). 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 Spale in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.0% (91 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Spale appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.0%), Two or More Races (9.0%), Hispanic (4.5%). 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 Spale (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 Spale mean?
An English surname possibly derived from a variant spelling of the word "spale" meaning a splinter or split piece of wood. 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 Spale (0.04 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 common is the surname Spale?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Spale, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.