2000
#7,063
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,367
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.62
Rare Last name
Spikes
An English surname derived from a nickname for someone with a spiky, unkempt appearance or a fierce personality.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,090 Americans carry the last name Spikes. That puts it at #7,251 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.49 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 67,339 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Spikes 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.
Bearers in the US
5.1K
1 in 67,339
Census rank
#7,251
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,439 bearers of the surname Spikes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.49 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7251st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Spikes, the largest self-reported group is Black at 56.1%. The next largest groups are White (34.8%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Spikes
The surname "Spikes" is of English origin, and it is believed to have emerged in the 13th century. The name is derived from the Old English word "spic," which means "a spike or nail." It was likely an occupational surname given to someone who worked with spikes or nails, such as a blacksmith or a carpenter.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname "Spikes" can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex, England, dated 1296, where a person named John Spykes is mentioned. The spelling variation "Spykes" was common in those times, reflecting the regional accents and dialects.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various records across England, such as the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1379, where a William Spykes is listed. The name was also found in the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk in 1381, where a John Spykks is recorded.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname "Spikes" was a notable English politician and landowner named Sir Robert Spikes (c. 1420 - 1492). He served as a Member of Parliament for Wiltshire and held significant estates in the county.
Another notable individual with the surname "Spikes" was Thomas Spikes (1571 - 1623), an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious works, including a treatise on the Book of Revelation.
In the 17th century, the surname "Spikes" was found in various English parish records, such as the baptism of John Spikes in St. Giles Cripplegate, London, in 1642. The name was also present in the parish records of Wiltshire, where a William Spikes was buried in 1670 in the village of Lacock.
During the 18th century, the surname "Spikes" gained prominence in the American colonies. One of the earliest known bearers of the name in America was Jonathan Spikes (1726 - 1802), a farmer and landowner from Connecticut who fought in the American Revolutionary War.
The surname "Spikes" has also been associated with several place names in England, such as Spikeshill in Shropshire and Spikespit in Buckinghamshire, which may have contributed to the development of the surname in those regions.
In conclusion, the surname "Spikes" has a rich history dating back to the 13th century in England, where it originated as an occupational surname related to the trade of working with spikes or nails. Over the centuries, the name has been found in various records across England and later in the American colonies, with notable bearers contributing to various fields, including politics, religion, and military service.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Spikes
Among Census respondents with the surname Spikes, the largest self-reported group is Black at 56.1%. The next largest groups are White (34.8%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Spikes 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 Spikes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American56.1% · 2,492
- White34.8% · 1,543
- Two or more races5.5% · 246
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 130
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Spikes
Spikes appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#7,265
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,586
+219 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 1.55
Rank movement Down 202 places
2020
#7,251
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,439
-147 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 1.49
Rank movement Up 14 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,063 | 4,367 | 1.62 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,265 | 4,586 | 1.55 | +219 bearers (+5.0%) | Down 202 places |
| 2020 | #7,251 | 4,439 | 1.49 | -147 bearers (-3.2%) | Up 14 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 Spikes 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 | #7,265 | #7,251 | 0.2% |
| Count | 4,586 | 4,439 | -3.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.55 | 1.49 | -4.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Spikes bearers went from 4,586 to 4,439 (-3.2% change). The surname moved up 14 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,265 to #7,251.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Spikes
FAQ
Spikes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Spikes?
Name Census estimates that about 5,090 living Americans carry the surname Spikes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 67,339 residents.
How common is Spikes?
Spikes ranks #7,251 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.49 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,439 people with the surname Spikes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,090), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.49 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.49 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Spikes.
Has Spikes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Spikes went from 4,586 recorded bearers to 4,439. That is a decrease of 147 (-3.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,265 to #7,251.
What does the Census say about the background of Spikes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Spikes, the largest self-reported group is Black at 56.1%. The next largest groups are White (34.8%) and Two or More Races (5.5%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Spikes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 56.1% (2,492 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Spikes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (56.1%), White (34.8%), Two or More Races (5.5%). 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 Spikes (2000, 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 Spikes mean?
An English surname derived from a nickname for someone with a spiky, unkempt appearance or a fierce personality. 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 Spikes (1.49 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 common is the surname Spikes?
Find out how many people have the last name Spikes on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.