2010
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Spendley
A surname potentially derived from a place name or a nickname referring to an extravagant or wasteful person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Spendley. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Spendley 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 Spendley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Spendley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Spendley, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (5.4%) and Black (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Spendley
The surname Spendley originates from England and is believed to have first emerged in the 14th century. It is thought to be an occupational surname, derived from the Old English word "spendlian," which means "to spend or distribute." This suggests that early bearers of the name may have been associated with roles such as stewards, treasurers, or those responsible for managing and distributing resources.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Spendley surname can be found in the Hertfordshire Subsidy Rolls of 1381, where a John Spendley is listed as a resident of the county. The name also appears in various medieval manuscripts and documents, including the Pipe Rolls and the Feet of Fines, further solidifying its presence in England during the Middle Ages.
During the 16th century, the Spendley surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire. Notable individuals from this period include William Spendley, a yeoman farmer from Hertfordshire, who was born in 1532 and lived in the village of Standon. Additionally, records show a Thomas Spendley, born in 1571 in Saffron Walden, Essex, who worked as a merchant and owned several properties in the area.
In the 17th century, the Spendley surname continued to be found across various parts of England, with some bearers migrating to other parts of the British Isles and beyond. One notable figure was John Spendley, born in 1612 in Berkshire, who served as a captain in the English Civil War and fought for the Parliamentarian forces. Another individual of note was Richard Spendley, born in 1674 in Gloucestershire, who was a renowned clockmaker and is credited with creating some of the finest longcase clocks of his time.
As the centuries progressed, the Spendley surname continued to be represented across various fields and professions. In the 19th century, a prominent figure was Samuel Spendley, born in 1842 in Lincolnshire, who was a respected scholar and author, publishing several works on the history and culture of his native county.
Throughout its history, the Spendley surname has also been associated with various place names and geographic locations across England. For example, the village of Spendley in Hertfordshire is believed to have derived its name from the surname, suggesting that early bearers may have been landowners or prominent figures in the area.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Spendley
Among Census respondents with the surname Spendley, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (5.4%) and Black (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Spendley 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 Spendley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.2% · 99
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.4% · 6
- Black or African American2.7% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Spendley
Spendley appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+10 bearers (+9.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 11,047 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.9%) | Up 11,047 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 Spendley 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 | #159,712 | #148,665 | 6.9% |
| Count | 101 | 111 | 9.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 23.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Spendley bearers went from 101 to 111 (+9.9% change). The surname moved up 11,047 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #148,665.
FAQ
Spendley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Spendley?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Spendley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Spendley?
Spendley ranks #148,665 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 111 people with the surname Spendley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Spendley.
Has Spendley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Spendley went from 101 recorded bearers to 111. That is an increase of 10 (+9.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Spendley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Spendley, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (5.4%) and Black (2.7%). 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 Spendley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.2% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Spendley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (5.4%), Black (2.7%). 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 Spendley (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 Spendley mean?
A surname potentially derived from a place name or a nickname referring to an extravagant or wasteful person. 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 Spendley (0.04 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 Spendley?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.