2000
#124,109
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Spaven
A variant spelling of the English surname 'Spaven,' possibly derived from an Old English location name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Spaven. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Spaven 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 Spaven with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Spaven in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Spaven, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (11.8%) and Hispanic (5.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Spaven
The surname Spaven originated in the northern regions of England, particularly in Yorkshire and Lancashire, during the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. It is believed to be derived from an Old English word "spæren," which means "to fasten or bar." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a maker or seller of bars or fasteners for doors, gates, or other structures.
One of the earliest known references to the surname Spaven can be found in the Wakefield Court Rolls of 1275, where a certain Adam Spaven is mentioned as a resident of the village of Wakefield. The name also appears in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Returns of 1379, where it is recorded as "Spaueyn."
In the 16th century, the Spaven family seemed to have established a presence in the town of Burnley, Lancashire. The Burnley Parish Registers from 1593 contain entries for several Spaven individuals, including John Spaven, who was born in 1598.
A notable figure in the history of the Spaven surname was Richard Spaven, a landowner and farmer who lived in the village of Clapham, Yorkshire, in the late 17th century. He was born in 1652 and died in 1719. His will, dated 1718, mentions his extensive land holdings and bequests to his family members.
Another prominent Spaven was William Spaven, a merchant and trader who lived in the city of York in the early 18th century. He was born in 1685 and died in 1758. Records show that he was involved in the wool trade and had business dealings with merchants in other parts of England and Europe.
In the 19th century, the Spaven family had members who migrated to other parts of the British Isles and beyond. One such individual was Thomas Spaven, who was born in Yorkshire in 1812 and later settled in Glasgow, Scotland, where he worked as a blacksmith. He died in 1879.
Another notable Spaven was Elizabeth Spaven, a teacher and author who was born in Lancashire in 1845. She wrote several books on education and pedagogy, including "The Principles of Teaching" (1884) and "Methods in Teaching" (1892). She died in 1912.
While the surname Spaven is not among the most common in England, it has a rich history dating back to the medieval period and has been associated with various professions and notable individuals over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Spaven
Among Census respondents with the surname Spaven, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (11.8%) and Hispanic (5.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Spaven 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 Spaven surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.4% · 80
- Asian and Pacific Islander11.8% · 12
- Hispanic or Latino5.9% · 6
- Two or more races3.9% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Spaven
Spaven 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
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-23 bearers (-18.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 30,798 places
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-3 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 152 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,109 | 128 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | -23 bearers (-18.0%) | Down 30,798 places |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -3 bearers (-2.9%) | Up 152 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 Spaven 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 | #154,907 | #154,755 | 0.1% |
| Count | 105 | 102 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Spaven bearers went from 105 to 102 (-2.9% change). The surname moved up 152 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #154,755.
FAQ
Spaven surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Spaven?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Spaven. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Spaven?
Spaven ranks #154,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 102 people with the surname Spaven. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Spaven.
Has Spaven become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Spaven went from 105 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Spaven?
Among Census respondents with the surname Spaven, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (11.8%) and Hispanic (5.9%). 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 Spaven in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.4% (80 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Spaven appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (11.8%), Hispanic (5.9%). 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 Spaven (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 Spaven mean?
A variant spelling of the English surname 'Spaven,' possibly derived from an Old English location name. 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 Spaven (0.03 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 are called Spaven?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Spaven at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.