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

Spicer, 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 Spicer surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Spicer in America

Spicer is the 1951st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Spicer surname appeared 18,501 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 6 people would have the surname Spicer.

We can also compare 2010 data for Spicer 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 Spicer

The surname Spicer has its origins in England, tracing back to the early 13th century. It is an occupational name derived from the Old French word "espicier" or the Anglo-Norman word "spicer," meaning a dealer in spices or a grocer. In medieval times, spices were highly valuable commodities, and those involved in their trade held respectable positions within communities.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire from 1273, where a person named William le Spicer is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already in use during that period. Additionally, the Spicer surname appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, further solidifying its presence in England during the Middle Ages.

The Spicer name has also been linked to various place names, such as Spicer Street in Birmingham and Spicer's Meadow in Gloucestershire. These locations may have been named after individuals bearing the Spicer surname or may have been areas where Spicers resided or conducted their trade.

Notable individuals with the Spicer surname throughout history include:

1. Henry Spicer (1555-1627), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Regius Professor of Divinity at Oxford University.
2. John Spicer (1610-1661), an English Puritan minister and author, known for his work "A Treatise of Tithes" published in 1647.
3. Tobias Spicer (1618-1684), an English Puritan divine and ejected minister who was forced to resign from his position after the Act of Uniformity in 1662.
4. William Spicer (1821-1905), a British architect and artist who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Royal Court Theatre.
5. Ernest Evan Spicer (1876-1952), a British industrialist and engineer who founded the Spicer manufacturing company, known for producing components for the automotive industry.

While the Spicer surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including North America, Australia, and New Zealand, carried by individuals migrating from the British Isles. The name continues to be found in various regions, reflecting its historical significance as an occupational surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Spicer

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!