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

Spight, 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 Spight surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Spight in America

Spight is the 29309th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Spight surname appeared 807 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 Spight.

We can also compare 2010 data for Spight 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 Spight

The surname SPIGHT is of English origin, deriving from the Middle English word "spight," which means "malice" or "spite." This term is thought to have evolved from the Old English word "spitu," meaning "spit." It was initially used as a nickname for someone with a spiteful or malicious nature.

The earliest recorded instances of the SPIGHT surname can be traced back to the late 13th century in various counties across England, including Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Nottinghamshire. The name appeared in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, a census-like record of landowners in England at the time.

In the 14th century, the surname SPIGHT was mentioned in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Returns of 1379, which documented taxpayers in the region. One notable entry was for a William Spight, who resided in the village of Cottingham near Hull.

During the 15th century, the SPIGHT surname was found in various historical documents, such as the Feet of Fines for Essex from 1439, which recorded a transaction involving a John Spight. Additionally, the name appeared in the Paston Letters, a collection of correspondence from the influential Paston family of Norfolk, where a Richard Spight was mentioned in 1472.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the SPIGHT surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name was recorded as "Spihte" in the county of Somerset, likely referring to a landowner or tenant at the time.

Among notable individuals with the SPIGHT surname throughout history are:

1. Thomas Spight (c. 1540-1612), an English clergyman and academic who served as the President of Corpus Christi College, Oxford, from 1598 until his death.

2. Elizabeth Spight (c. 1570-1630), an English writer and poet whose works included religious and moral poems, as well as translations of continental literature.

3. John Spight (1601-1668), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Hertfordshire in the 1640s during the English Civil War.

4. William Spight (1720-1789), a British naval officer who rose to the rank of Admiral and served in several conflicts, including the Seven Years' War and the American Revolutionary War.

5. Mary Spight (1788-1862), an English author and educator who wrote several popular children's books and established a school for girls in London in the early 19th century.

The SPIGHT surname has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Spight's Hill in Wiltshire and Spight's Farm in Kent, suggesting that the name was once more widespread and potentially linked to specific locations.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Spight

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

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

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

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