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

Sperring, 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 Sperring surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Sperring in America

Sperring is the 78316th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Sperring surname appeared 244 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Sperring.

We can also compare 2010 data for Sperring 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 Sperring

The surname Sperring is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be a locational name derived from a place called Sparsholt or Spersholte, which means "spare or thin wood" in Old English.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sperring appears in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which were administrative records compiled in England during the reign of King Edward I. The entry refers to a man named William de Spersholte, likely indicating his place of origin or residence.

In the 14th century, the surname Sperring appears in various records, including the Yorkshire Poll Tax of 1379, which lists a John Speryng. This variation in spelling was common during this time due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions.

The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land and property in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname Sperring. However, it does mention several places with similar names, such as Sparsholt in Berkshire and Sparsholte in Wiltshire, indicating the potential origins of the surname.

Notable individuals with the surname Sperring throughout history include:

1. John Sperring (c. 1570 - c. 1640), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Master of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge.
2. William Sperring (1670 - 1741), a British architect and surveyor who worked on various projects in London, including the rebuilding of St. Mary's Church in Islington after the Great Fire of London.
3. Elizabeth Sperring (1744 - 1812), an English writer and poet who published several works, including "Poems on Various Subjects" in 1784.
4. George Sperring (1819 - 1893), a British railway engineer and inventor who patented various improvements to steam locomotive boilers and safety mechanisms.
5. Alfred Sperring (1874 - 1957), a British politician who served as a Member of Parliament for the Labour Party, representing the constituency of Burnley from 1923 to 1931.

The surname Sperring has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Sperring's Farm in Hampshire and Sperring's Lane in Kent, further reinforcing its locational origins.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Sperring

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

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

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

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