2000
#34,503
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 621
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.23
Very Rare Last name
Spall
A surname derived from the Old English word for "splinter" or "chip," possibly referring to an occupation.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 728 Americans carry the last name Spall. That puts it at #37,662 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 470,816 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Spall 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Spall with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
728
1 in 470,816
Census rank
#37,662
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
635
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 635 bearers of the surname Spall in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 37662nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Spall, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (9.9%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Spall
The surname SPALL is believed to have originated in England and dates back to the 13th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "spall," which referred to a chip or splinter of wood or stone. This suggests that the name may have been an occupational surname given to someone who worked with wood or stone, such as a carpenter or stonemason.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name SPALL can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275, which lists a Richard Spall. This suggests that the name was well-established in the Midlands region of England by the late 13th century.
The SPALL surname is also found in various other historical records from medieval England, such as the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which mentions a John Spall from Oxfordshire. Additionally, the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1301, where a Robert Spall is listed.
While the name SPALL does not appear in the renowned Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landowners and tenants in England, its absence does not necessarily negate its antiquity, as many surnames were not consistently recorded in written records until later centuries.
One notable individual bearing the SPALL surname was Sir John Spall (c. 1525-1592), an English lawyer and politician who served as a member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Another prominent figure was William Spall (1805-1887), a British architect who designed several notable buildings in London and other parts of England.
Other individuals of note include Thomas Spall (1721-1788), an English clergyman and author, and Richard Spall (1755-1832), a British engineer and inventor who made contributions to the development of early steam engines.
It is worth mentioning that variations in spelling, such as Spell, Spall, and Spaul, were common in earlier centuries due to inconsistent record-keeping and regional dialects. Additionally, the name SPALL may have been derived from place names or other geographic locations, further contributing to its diversity in origin and meaning.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Spall
Among Census respondents with the surname Spall, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (9.9%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Spall 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 Spall surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.1% · 534
- Asian and Pacific Islander9.9% · 63
- Two or more races3.0% · 19
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 16
- Black or African American0.3% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Spall
Spall 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
#36,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 607
-14 bearers (-2.3%)
Per 100,000 0.21
Rank movement Down 2,285 places
2020
#37,662
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 635
+28 bearers (+4.6%)
Per 100,000 0.21
Rank movement Down 874 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #34,503 | 621 | 0.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #36,788 | 607 | 0.21 | -14 bearers (-2.3%) | Down 2,285 places |
| 2020 | #37,662 | 635 | 0.21 | +28 bearers (+4.6%) | Down 874 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 Spall 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 | #36,788 | #37,662 | -2.4% |
| Count | 607 | 635 | 4.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.21 | 0.21 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Spall bearers went from 607 to 635 (+4.6% change). The surname moved down 874 positions in the national ranking, going from #36,788 to #37,662.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Spall
FAQ
Spall surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Spall?
Name Census estimates that about 728 living Americans carry the surname Spall. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 470,816 residents.
How common is Spall?
Spall ranks #37,662 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.21 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 635 people with the surname Spall. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (728), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.21 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 Spall.
Has Spall become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Spall went from 607 recorded bearers to 635. That is an increase of 28 (+4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #36,788 to #37,662.
What does the Census say about the background of Spall?
Among Census respondents with the surname Spall, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (9.9%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Spall in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.1% (534 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Spall appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (9.9%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Spall (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 Spall mean?
A surname derived from the Old English word for "splinter" or "chip," possibly referring to an occupation. 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 Spall (0.21 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 share the surname Spall?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.