2000
#2,544
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,049
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.84
Uncommon Last name
Spear
An occupational surname referring to a spearmaker or soldier armed with a spear.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,245 Americans carry the last name Spear. That puts it at #2,821 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 24,061 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Spear 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 Spear with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
14K
1 in 24,061
Census rank
#2,821
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,422 bearers of the surname Spear in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2821st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Spear, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.1%. The next largest groups are Black (7.4%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Spear
Among Census respondents with the surname Spear, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.1%. The next largest groups are Black (7.4%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Spear 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 Spear surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.1% · 10,445
- Black or African American7.4% · 925
- Two or more races3.5% · 438
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 436
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 94
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 84
Timeline
Historical Census data for Spear
Spear 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
#2,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,284
+235 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 4.50
Rank movement Down 168 places
2020
#2,821
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,422
-862 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 4.16
Rank movement Down 109 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,544 | 13,049 | 4.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,712 | 13,284 | 4.50 | +235 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 168 places |
| 2020 | #2,821 | 12,422 | 4.16 | -862 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 109 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 Spear 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 | #2,712 | #2,821 | -4.0% |
| Count | 13,284 | 12,422 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 4.50 | 4.16 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Spear bearers went from 13,284 to 12,422 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 109 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,712 to #2,821.
FAQ
Spear surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Spear?
Name Census estimates that about 14,245 living Americans carry the surname Spear. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 24,061 residents.
How common is Spear?
Spear ranks #2,821 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.16 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,422 people with the surname Spear. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,245), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.16 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Spear.
Has Spear become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Spear went from 13,284 recorded bearers to 12,422. That is a decrease of 862 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,712 to #2,821.
What does the Census say about the background of Spear?
Among Census respondents with the surname Spear, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.1%. The next largest groups are Black (7.4%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Spear in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.1% (10,445 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Spear appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.1%), Black (7.4%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Spear (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 Spear mean?
An occupational surname referring to a spearmaker or soldier armed with a spear. 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 Spear (4.16 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 Spear?
See how common the surname Spear is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.