Find out how popular the last name Spear is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Spear.

Spear, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Spear surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Spear in America

Spear is the 2712th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Spear surname appeared 13,284 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname Spear.

We can also compare 2010 data for Spear to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Spear

The surname Spear originated in England during the Anglo-Saxon period, derived from the Old English word "spere," which means a spear or lance. It was an occupational name given to individuals who made or used spears, or it could have been a nickname for someone who fought with a spear or had a particularly sharp demeanor.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Spear surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings and properties in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appeared in various spellings, such as "Spere" and "Spera."

During the Middle Ages, the Spear family flourished primarily in the counties of Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, and Oxfordshire. Variations of the name, like "Speere" and "Spier," were also common in these regions.

Notable individuals with the Spear surname include John Spear (c. 1495-1573), a prominent merchant and Member of Parliament for Bristol during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Sir Richard Spear (1596-1661) was a distinguished English soldier who fought in the English Civil War and served as a Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire.

In Scotland, the Spear surname was often spelled "Spier" or "Spiers." One notable bearer of this name was William Spiers (1609-1672), a Scottish minister and author who wrote extensively on religious topics.

The Spear family also had a presence in Ireland, where the name was sometimes spelled "Speer" or "Speir." A notable example was Sir John Speer (1734-1801), an Irish politician and landowner who served as a Member of the Irish Parliament for County Donegal.

As the Spear family spread across the British Isles, the name appeared in various locales, sometimes adopting place names as part of the surname. For instance, the variant "Spearman" was common in the northern counties of England, particularly in Northumberland and Durham.

Throughout its history, the Spear surname has been associated with individuals from diverse backgrounds, including soldiers, merchants, politicians, and religious figures, reflecting the rich tapestry of British heritage.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Spear

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Spear.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Spear was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Spear has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Spear was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Spear, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!