2000
#14,799
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,840
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.68
Rare Last name
Speers
An occupational surname referring to a spearmaker or one who fashions spears.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,139 Americans carry the last name Speers. That puts it at #15,174 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 160,240 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Speers 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 Speers with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 160,240
Census rank
#15,174
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,865 bearers of the surname Speers in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15174th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Speers, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Speers
The surname SPEERS is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "spere," meaning a spear or lance. It is believed to have originated as an occupational name for a maker or seller of spears, or perhaps for a soldier skilled in the use of the spear.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname SPEERS date back to the late 12th century in various regions of England, including Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Gloucestershire. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was William le Spere, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1194.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as le Spere, le Sper, and le Speer, reflecting the phonetic variations of the time. One notable record is that of Willelmus le Sper, who was listed in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273.
The SPEERS surname can also be found in Scottish records, likely introduced by English settlers or through intermarriage. One early Scottish bearer of the name was John Speir, who was mentioned in the Records of the Burgh of Prestwick in 1499.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, several notable individuals bore the SPEERS surname. One example is Robert Speir (c. 1525-1585), a Scottish clergyman and author who served as the Bishop of Brechin.
Another prominent figure was John Speers (1612-1672), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford from 1668 to 1672.
In the 18th century, William Speers (1741-1811) was a Scottish merchant and landowner who played a significant role in the development of the city of Glasgow.
During the 19th century, the SPEERS surname was well-established in various parts of the United Kingdom and North America. One notable individual was Jeremiah Speers (1825-1891), an American lawyer and judge who served as a Justice of the Supreme Court of Indiana.
Another significant figure was John Speers (1851-1935), a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist who founded the Speers Manufacturing Company and was instrumental in the development of the city of Chicopee, Massachusetts.
As the surname SPEERS spread across different regions, it underwent various spelling variations, including Speer, Spere, Spier, and Speir, reflecting the influence of local dialects and scribal practices.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Speers
Among Census respondents with the surname Speers, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Speers 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 Speers surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.9% · 1,639
- Two or more races4.4% · 82
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 71
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.6% · 30
- Black or African American1.4% · 27
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Speers
Speers 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
#15,104
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,953
+113 bearers (+6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Down 305 places
2020
#15,174
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,865
-88 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Down 70 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,799 | 1,840 | 0.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,104 | 1,953 | 0.66 | +113 bearers (+6.1%) | Down 305 places |
| 2020 | #15,174 | 1,865 | 0.62 | -88 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 70 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 Speers 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 | #15,104 | #15,174 | -0.5% |
| Count | 1,953 | 1,865 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.66 | 0.62 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Speers bearers went from 1,953 to 1,865 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 70 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,104 to #15,174.
FAQ
Speers surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Speers?
Name Census estimates that about 2,139 living Americans carry the surname Speers. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 160,240 residents.
How common is Speers?
Speers ranks #15,174 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.62 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 1,865 people with the surname Speers. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,139), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.62 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 Speers.
Has Speers become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Speers went from 1,953 recorded bearers to 1,865. That is a decrease of 88 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #15,104 to #15,174.
What does the Census say about the background of Speers?
Among Census respondents with the surname Speers, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Speers in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.9% (1,639 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Speers appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.9%), Two or More Races (4.4%), Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Speers (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 Speers mean?
An occupational surname referring to a spearmaker or one who fashions spears. 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 Speers (0.62 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 Speers?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.