2000
#11,928
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,404
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.89
Rare Last name
Spates
A surname of English origin, derived from the Old English word "spæte," meaning a spade or shovel.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,947 Americans carry the last name Spates. That puts it at #11,675 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 116,306 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Spates 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
2.9K
1 in 116,306
Census rank
#11,675
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,570 bearers of the surname Spates in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11675th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Spates, the largest self-reported group is Black at 60.3%. The next largest groups are White (29.4%) and Two or More Races (6.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Spates
The surname Spates is believed to have originated in England, with roots dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word "spæti," which means "spittle" or "saliva." This suggests that the name may have been initially applied as a nickname or descriptive term for someone who had a tendency to spit frequently or excessively.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Spates can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1275, where a person named William Spates is listed. This indicates that the name was already in use by that time.
During the Middle Ages, the Spates family is believed to have originated from the county of Worcestershire in the West Midlands region of England. The name may have been associated with specific localities or places within the county, although the exact locations are uncertain.
In the 16th century, the surname Spates appeared in various records and documents, such as parish registers and tax records. One notable individual from this period was John Spates, born in 1543 in Evesham, Worcestershire. He was a prominent landowner and served as a local magistrate.
As the centuries progressed, the Spates name spread to other parts of England, and variants of the spelling emerged, including Spate, Spayth, and Speight. One notable figure was William Spates, born in 1685 in Lincolnshire, who was a renowned clockmaker and instrument maker in London.
In the 19th century, a few individuals with the Spates surname gained recognition. Thomas Spates, born in 1812 in Gloucestershire, was a renowned author and journalist who wrote extensively on social and political issues of his time. Another notable figure was Elizabeth Spates, born in 1841 in Yorkshire, who was a pioneering educator and advocate for women's rights.
Additionally, the Spates name can be found in historical records from other parts of the British Isles, such as Scotland and Ireland, suggesting that the name may have migrated or been adopted in these regions as well.
While the surname Spates is not extremely common, it has a rich history and has been carried by individuals from various walks of life throughout the centuries, from landowners and tradesmen to authors and activists.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Spates
Among Census respondents with the surname Spates, the largest self-reported group is Black at 60.3%. The next largest groups are White (29.4%) and Two or More Races (6.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Spates 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 Spates surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American60.3% · 1,549
- White29.4% · 756
- Two or more races6.2% · 159
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 78
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Spates
Spates 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
#11,476
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,742
+338 bearers (+14.1%)
Per 100,000 0.93
Rank movement Up 452 places
2020
#11,675
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,570
-172 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Down 199 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,928 | 2,404 | 0.89 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,476 | 2,742 | 0.93 | +338 bearers (+14.1%) | Up 452 places |
| 2020 | #11,675 | 2,570 | 0.86 | -172 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 199 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 Spates 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 | #11,476 | #11,675 | -1.7% |
| Count | 2,742 | 2,570 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.93 | 0.86 | -7.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Spates bearers went from 2,742 to 2,570 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 199 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,476 to #11,675.
FAQ
Spates surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Spates?
Name Census estimates that about 2,947 living Americans carry the surname Spates. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 116,306 residents.
How common is Spates?
Spates ranks #11,675 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.86 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,570 people with the surname Spates. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,947), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.86 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Spates.
Has Spates become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Spates went from 2,742 recorded bearers to 2,570. That is a decrease of 172 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,476 to #11,675.
What does the Census say about the background of Spates?
Among Census respondents with the surname Spates, the largest self-reported group is Black at 60.3%. The next largest groups are White (29.4%) and Two or More Races (6.2%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Spates in the 2020 Census, accounting for 60.3% (1,549 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Spates appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (60.3%), White (29.4%), Two or More Races (6.2%). 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 Spates (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 Spates mean?
A surname of English origin, derived from the Old English word "spæte," meaning a spade or shovel. 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 Spates (0.86 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 Spates?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.