2000
#4,514
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,233
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.68
Rare Last name
Spellman
An occupational surname for a magician, sorcerer, or one who casts spells.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,731 Americans carry the last name Spellman. That puts it at #5,042 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 44,335 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Spellman 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 Spellman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.7K
1 in 44,335
Census rank
#5,042
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,742 bearers of the surname Spellman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5042nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Spellman, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.2%. The next largest groups are Black (19.1%) and Hispanic (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Spellman
Among Census respondents with the surname Spellman, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.2%. The next largest groups are Black (19.1%) and Hispanic (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Spellman 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 Spellman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.2% · 4,870
- Black or African American19.1% · 1,289
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 274
- Two or more races3.7% · 248
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 45
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Spellman
Spellman 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
#4,650
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,627
+394 bearers (+5.4%)
Per 100,000 2.59
Rank movement Down 136 places
2020
#5,042
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,742
-885 bearers (-11.6%)
Per 100,000 2.26
Rank movement Down 392 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,514 | 7,233 | 2.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,650 | 7,627 | 2.59 | +394 bearers (+5.4%) | Down 136 places |
| 2020 | #5,042 | 6,742 | 2.26 | -885 bearers (-11.6%) | Down 392 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 Spellman 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 | #4,650 | #5,042 | -8.4% |
| Count | 7,627 | 6,742 | -11.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.59 | 2.26 | -12.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Spellman bearers went from 7,627 to 6,742 (-11.6% change). The surname moved down 392 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,650 to #5,042.
FAQ
Spellman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Spellman?
Name Census estimates that about 7,731 living Americans carry the surname Spellman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 44,335 residents.
How common is Spellman?
Spellman ranks #5,042 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.26 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,742 people with the surname Spellman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,731), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.26 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Spellman.
Has Spellman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Spellman went from 7,627 recorded bearers to 6,742. That is a decrease of 885 (-11.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,650 to #5,042.
What does the Census say about the background of Spellman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Spellman, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.2%. The next largest groups are Black (19.1%) and Hispanic (4.1%). 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 Spellman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.2% (4,870 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Spellman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.2%), Black (19.1%), Hispanic (4.1%). 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 Spellman (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 Spellman mean?
An occupational surname for a magician, sorcerer, or one who casts spells. 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 Spellman (2.26 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 share the surname Spellman?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.