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

Sperry, 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 Sperry surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Sperry in America

Sperry is the 4569th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Sperry surname appeared 7,760 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 Sperry.

We can also compare 2010 data for Sperry 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 Sperry

The surname SPERRY is of English origin and dates back to the 13th century. It is believed to derive from the Old English word "spere," meaning a spear or lance. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who was skilled in the use of this weapon or perhaps a maker of spears.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Norfolk, England, from 1273, where it appears as "Sperri." This indicates that the name was already established in that region during the medieval period.

In the 14th century, the surname is documented in various forms such as "Speri," "Sperry," and "Spery" in various records across England, including the Court Rolls of Wiltshire and the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire.

The SPERRY name is also associated with several place names in England, such as Sperry Tor in Devon and Sperry Hill in Somerset. These locations may have influenced the development of the surname or vice versa.

One notable individual with the surname SPERRY was John Sperry (1594-1670), an English Puritan minister who emigrated to New England in 1637 and became one of the founders of Fairfield, Connecticut.

Another prominent figure was Richard Sperry (1770-1834), an American entrepreneur and businessman who founded the Sperry & Hutchinson Company, known for its iconic Green Stamps trading program.

In the field of aviation, Elmer Ambrose Sperry (1860-1930) was a pioneering inventor who developed the artificial horizon and other important innovations in aeronautical instrumentation.

The name SPERRY also has a connection to the literary world through the American novelist and short story writer, Loren Sperry (1916-1983), known for his works exploring themes of alienation and social commentary.

Lastly, one cannot overlook the contributions of Roger Wolcott Sperry (1913-1994), an American neuropsychologist and Nobel Prize winner in Physiology or Medicine for his groundbreaking research on the functional specialization of the cerebral hemispheres.

While the SPERRY surname may have evolved from humble beginnings related to a weapon, it has left an indelible mark across various disciplines throughout history, reflecting the diverse accomplishments of those who have carried this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Sperry

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

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

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

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