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

Speed, 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 Speed surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Speed in America

Speed is the 4859th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Speed surname appeared 7,255 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Speed.

We can also compare 2010 data for Speed 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 Speed

The surname SPEED is of English origin, with records indicating its existence as far back as the late 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "sped," meaning "prosperity" or "success," suggesting that the name may have originally referred to someone who was prosperous or successful.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the SPEED surname can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, where a person named Walter Sped is mentioned. This spelling variation highlights the evolution of the name over time.

The SPEED surname is also documented in the Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire from 1327, where a person named Thomas Spede is listed. This record provides insight into the geographical distribution of the name during that period.

In the 14th century, the SPEED surname appears to have been particularly prevalent in the counties of Staffordshire, Oxfordshire, and Warwickshire, as evidenced by various historical records and manuscripts from that time.

One noteworthy individual bearing the SPEED surname was John Speed (1552-1629), an English cartographer and historian who is best known for creating the famous "Theatre of the Empire of Great Britaine," a comprehensive atlas of England, Scotland, and Ireland published in 1611-1612.

Another prominent figure was Samuel Speed (c. 1631-1681), an English Baptist minister and author who played a significant role in the development of religious dissent in the 17th century.

In the 18th century, Joshua Speed (1703-1778) was a notable English surveyor and cartographer who worked on mapping various parts of England and Wales.

Moving into the 19th century, John Gilmer Speed (1813-1887) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 18th Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky from 1864 to 1867.

Lastly, James Speed (1812-1887), the brother of John Gilmer Speed, was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 27th United States Attorney General under President Abraham Lincoln from 1864 to 1866.

While the SPEED surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to various other parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, reflecting the migration patterns of English settlers over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Speed

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

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 Speed 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 Speed 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 Speed was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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