2000
#9,189
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,264
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.21
Rare Last name
Speaks
An English occupational surname referring to a person who acts as a spokesman or representative.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,875 Americans carry the last name Speaks. That puts it at #9,253 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 88,453 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Speaks 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
3.9K
1 in 88,453
Census rank
#9,253
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,379 bearers of the surname Speaks in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9253rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Speaks, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.8%. The next largest groups are Black (32.0%) and Two or More Races (6.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Speaks
The surname "SPEAKS" is believed to have originated in England, likely during the medieval period. It is thought to be an occupational surname derived from the Old English word "specan," meaning "to speak" or "to utter words." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who worked as a public speaker, orator, or town crier.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire, a census-like record from 1273, which lists a Johannes le Speker. The name is also mentioned in other historical records from the 13th and 14th centuries, such as the Pipe Rolls of Sussex and the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire.
The surname "SPEAKS" has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Spekes Bourne in Suffolk and Speaks Hill in Worcestershire. These place names may have influenced the spelling variations of the surname over time.
Among the notable individuals who have borne the surname "SPEAKS" throughout history are:
1. Thomas Speaks (c. 1600-1680), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Worcestershire during the English Civil War.
2. Richard Speaks (1631-1698), an English Puritan minister and author who wrote several religious works, including "The Doctrine of the Sabbath."
3. John Speaks (1767-1838), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars and rose to the rank of Admiral.
4. Sarah Speaks (1820-1892), an American educator and activist who was a prominent figure in the women's suffrage movement in Ohio.
5. William Speaks (1867-1945), a British architect known for designing several notable buildings in London, including the Iveagh Bequest and the Finsbury Health Centre.
While the surname "SPEAKS" has its origins in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and immigration patterns. However, the historical records mentioned above provide valuable insights into the early development and significance of this surname in its country of origin.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Speaks
Among Census respondents with the surname Speaks, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.8%. The next largest groups are Black (32.0%) and Two or More Races (6.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Speaks 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 Speaks surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White57.8% · 1,952
- Black or African American32.0% · 1,082
- Two or more races6.2% · 209
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 90
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 35
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Speaks
Speaks 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
#9,150
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,565
+301 bearers (+9.2%)
Per 100,000 1.21
Rank movement Up 39 places
2020
#9,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,379
-186 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 1.13
Rank movement Down 103 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,189 | 3,264 | 1.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,150 | 3,565 | 1.21 | +301 bearers (+9.2%) | Up 39 places |
| 2020 | #9,253 | 3,379 | 1.13 | -186 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 103 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 Speaks 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 | #9,150 | #9,253 | -1.1% |
| Count | 3,565 | 3,379 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.21 | 1.13 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Speaks bearers went from 3,565 to 3,379 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 103 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,150 to #9,253.
FAQ
Speaks surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Speaks?
Name Census estimates that about 3,875 living Americans carry the surname Speaks. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 88,453 residents.
How common is Speaks?
Speaks ranks #9,253 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.13 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 3,379 people with the surname Speaks. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,875), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.13 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 Speaks.
Has Speaks become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Speaks went from 3,565 recorded bearers to 3,379. That is a decrease of 186 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,150 to #9,253.
What does the Census say about the background of Speaks?
Among Census respondents with the surname Speaks, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.8%. The next largest groups are Black (32.0%) 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Speaks in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.8% (1,952 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Speaks appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (57.8%), Black (32.0%), 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 Speaks (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 Speaks mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a person who acts as a spokesman or representative. 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 Speaks (1.13 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 Speaks?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Speaks, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.