2000
#785
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 40,203
First available Census row
Per 100,000 14.90
Uncommon Last name
Spears
An occupational surname referring to a maker of spears or a soldier armed with a spear.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 45,879 Americans carry the last name Spears. That puts it at #845 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 13.39 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 7,471 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Spears 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 Spears with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
46K
1 in 7,471
Census rank
#845
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
13.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
40K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 40,009 bearers of the surname Spears in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 13.39 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 845th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Spears, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.3%. The next largest groups are Black (26.2%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Spears
The surname Spears has its origins in England and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "spere," which means a spear or lance, a weapon commonly used by medieval soldiers and knights. This surname likely originated as an occupational name or a descriptive nickname for someone who was skilled in the use of spears or lances, perhaps a soldier or a knight.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname Spears can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire in 1196, where a person named William Spere is mentioned. Another early record is from the Curia Regis Rolls of Worcestershire in 1207, which mentions a Richard le Spere.
In the 13th century, the surname appears in various spellings, such as Spere, Sper, and Spear. These variations reflect the phonetic spelling of the name during that time period. The Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273 record a John le Spere, while the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1296 mention a William Spere.
One notable individual with the surname Spears was Sir John Spears, a Scottish soldier and military engineer who lived in the 16th century (c. 1545-1599). He served under King James VI of Scotland and was involved in fortifying various castles and defensive structures.
Another significant figure was Richard Spears, an English clergyman and academic who lived in the 17th century (c. 1630-1683). He was the Master of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, and played a role in the intellectual life of the university during that time.
In the 18th century, a prominent individual with the surname Spears was John Spears, an English architect and surveyor (c. 1720-1795). He was involved in the design and construction of several notable buildings in London, including the Blackfriars Bridge and the Adelphi Terrace.
The 19th century saw the rise of William Spears, a Scottish businessman and philanthropist (1801-1883). He founded the Spears Axe Company, which became a successful manufacturer of tools and hardware, and he also donated funds for the establishment of educational institutions in his hometown of Ayr.
Another notable figure from the 19th century was Robert Spears, an American lawyer and politician (1825-1899). He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Mississippi and was active in the Democratic Party during the Reconstruction era.
While the surname Spears has been present throughout history, it continues to be a name of significance, with various individuals making their mark in various fields across different time periods and regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Spears
Among Census respondents with the surname Spears, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.3%. The next largest groups are Black (26.2%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Spears 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 Spears surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White63.3% · 25,307
- Black or African American26.2% · 10,480
- Two or more races5.1% · 2,042
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 1,318
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.6% · 635
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 227
Timeline
Historical Census data for Spears
Spears 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
#830
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 41,665
+1,462 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 14.12
Rank movement Down 45 places
2020
#845
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 40,009
-1,656 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 13.39
Rank movement Down 15 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #785 | 40,203 | 14.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #830 | 41,665 | 14.12 | +1,462 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 45 places |
| 2020 | #845 | 40,009 | 13.39 | -1,656 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 15 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 Spears 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 | #830 | #845 | -1.8% |
| Count | 41,665 | 40,009 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 14.12 | 13.39 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Spears bearers went from 41,665 to 40,009 (-4.0% change). The surname moved down 15 positions in the national ranking, going from #830 to #845.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Spears
FAQ
Spears surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Spears?
Name Census estimates that about 45,879 living Americans carry the surname Spears. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 7,471 residents.
How common is Spears?
Spears ranks #845 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 13.39 per 100,000 residents, which is about 13 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 40,009 people with the surname Spears. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (45,879), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 13.39 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 13.39 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 13 of them to have the surname Spears.
Has Spears become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Spears went from 41,665 recorded bearers to 40,009. That is a decrease of 1,656 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #830 to #845.
What does the Census say about the background of Spears?
Among Census respondents with the surname Spears, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.3%. The next largest groups are Black (26.2%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Spears in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.3% (25,307 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Spears appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (63.3%), Black (26.2%), Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Spears (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 Spears mean?
An occupational surname referring to a maker of spears or a 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 Spears (13.39 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 Spears?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.