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

Spellman, 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 Spellman surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Spellman in America

Spellman is the 4650th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Spellman surname appeared 7,627 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Spellman.

We can also compare 2010 data for Spellman 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 Spellman

The surname Spellman has its origins in England, dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "spell" and "mann," which together translate to "story teller" or "speaker." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to individuals who were skilled orators or storytellers within their communities.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1195, which mention a "Richard Spelleman." The name also appears in various medieval records, including the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, where a "John Spelman" is listed.

The surname Spellman is closely related to the variants Spelman and Spilman, which were used interchangeably in different regions of England during the Middle Ages. These variations likely arose due to local dialects and the inconsistencies in spelling and record-keeping at the time.

In the 16th century, the name Spellman can be found in various parish records across England, particularly in the counties of Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, and Oxfordshire. One notable individual from this period was Henry Spelman (1564-1641), an English antiquarian and historian who wrote extensively on the history of English law and governance.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Spellman surname continued to be prevalent in various parts of England. John Spelman (1594-1668) was an English landowner and Member of Parliament, while Sir Henry Spelman (1595-1680) was an English diplomat and politician who served as a member of the Council of State during the English Commonwealth.

As the British Empire expanded, the Spellman name also spread to other parts of the world. In the 19th century, Francis Spellman (1789-1880) was an Irish-born physician who emigrated to the United States and became a respected practitioner in New York City.

Another prominent figure with the Spellman surname was Francis Joseph Spellman (1889-1967), an American cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the Archbishop of New York from 1939 to 1967 and played a significant role in shaping the Catholic Church's response to various social and political issues of the time.

While these are just a few examples, the Spellman surname has a rich history that spans several centuries and can be traced back to its origins in medieval England.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Spellman

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

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

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

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