2000
#122,534
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Spill
An occupational surname referring to someone who worked with liquids or beverages.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Spill. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Spill 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Spill with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Spill in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Spill, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.6%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Spill
The surname SPILL is of English origin, believed to have emerged in the late 12th or early 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word "spillan," meaning "to spill or shed." The name likely referred to an occupation or a distinguishing characteristic of one of the earliest bearers.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname SPILL can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1230, where it appears as "Spille." This suggests that the name was already established in the northern counties of England by the early 13th century. In the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, the name appears as "Spille," further confirming its presence in various regions of England during the Middle Ages.
The SPILL surname is also linked to several place names in England, such as Spill Hill in Northamptonshire and Spill Farm in Lincolnshire. These locations may have been associated with the earliest bearers of the name or derived from individuals who resided there.
One notable historical figure with the surname SPILL was Sir Henry Spill (c. 1460-1528), a prominent English landowner and Member of Parliament for Hampshire during the reign of Henry VIII. Another individual of note was John Spill (c. 1570-1641), a Puritan minister and theologian who served as the rector of St. Mary's Church in Ipswich, Suffolk.
In the 16th century, the SPILL surname can be found in various records, including the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk from 1568, where a Thomas Spill is mentioned. The name also appears in the Parish Registers of St. Mary's Church in Ipswich, where the baptism of John Spill, son of Robert Spill, is recorded in 1595.
During the 17th century, the SPILL surname continued to be documented in various parts of England. One example is William Spill (1609-1679), a prominent merchant and landowner in the city of Bristol. Another notable figure was Elizabeth Spill (c. 1640-1720), a Quaker writer and preacher from Cheshire, known for her religious works and advocacy for women's rights.
As the centuries progressed, the SPILL surname spread across different regions of England and beyond, with various spellings emerging, such as Spill, Spille, and Spylle. While the name may have been more concentrated in certain areas initially, it eventually became dispersed throughout the country and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Spill
Among Census respondents with the surname Spill, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.6%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Spill 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 Spill surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.8% · 89
- Hispanic or Latino7.6% · 8
- Two or more races4.8% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.9% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Spill
Spill 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
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-25 bearers (-19.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 32,373 places
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,918 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #122,534 | 130 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | -25 bearers (-19.2%) | Down 32,373 places |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Up 1,918 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 Spill 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 | #154,907 | #152,989 | 1.2% |
| Count | 105 | 105 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Spill bearers went from 105 to 105 (+0.0% change). The surname moved up 1,918 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #152,989.
FAQ
Spill surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Spill?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Spill. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Spill?
Spill ranks #152,989 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 105 people with the surname Spill. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Spill.
Has Spill become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Spill went from 105 recorded bearers to 105. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Spill?
Among Census respondents with the surname Spill, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.6%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Spill in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.8% (89 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Spill appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.8%), Hispanic (7.6%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Spill (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 Spill mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone who worked with liquids or beverages. 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 Spill (0.04 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 many people share the surname Spill?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.