2000
#10,261
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,879
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.07
Rare Last name
Spillane
An Irish occupational surname referring to a fiddler or a player of woodwind instruments.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,323 Americans carry the last name Spillane. That puts it at #10,559 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.97 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 103,146 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Spillane 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 Spillane with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.3K
1 in 103,146
Census rank
#10,559
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,898 bearers of the surname Spillane in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.97 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10559th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Spillane, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Spillane
The surname Spillane originated in Ireland, with its earliest recorded roots dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Gaelic word 'Spiolán,' which means 'explorer' or 'wanderer.' The name was initially found in County Cork, particularly in the areas around Duhallow and Muskerry.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Spillane can be found in the Annals of Inisfallen, a medieval Irish chronicle spanning from the 5th to the 13th century. The annals mention a "Spillán mac Conmaic," who was a notable figure in the region during that time.
The Spillane name has also been associated with several place names in Ireland, such as Spillane's Cross and Spillane's Bridge, located in County Cork. These place names suggest that the Spillane family had a significant presence and influence in the area.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Spillane. One of the earliest recorded was Dermot Spillane (c. 1460 - 1525), an Irish chieftain and lord of the manor of Clogheen, County Cork. Another prominent figure was Edmond Spillane (1676 - 1738), an Irish Jacobite and member of the Parliament of Ireland.
In more recent times, the Spillane name has been carried by several accomplished individuals, including Mickey Spillane (1918 - 2006), an American crime novelist widely known for his series featuring the detective Mike Hammer. Another notable bearer of the name was Brendan Spillane (1920 - 2011), an Irish professional footballer who played for several clubs in England during the 1940s and 1950s.
The name Spillane has also been prominent in the field of literature, with authors such as Michael Spillane (1939 - ), an American novelist and playwright, and Camilla Spillane (1924 - 2008), an Irish novelist and short story writer.
While the Spillane surname originated in Ireland, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including the United States, Australia, and other English-speaking countries, due to immigration patterns over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Spillane
Among Census respondents with the surname Spillane, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Spillane 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 Spillane surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.5% · 2,711
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 87
- Two or more races2.2% · 64
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 23
- Black or African American0.2% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Spillane
Spillane 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
#10,528
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,047
+168 bearers (+5.8%)
Per 100,000 1.03
Rank movement Down 267 places
2020
#10,559
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,898
-149 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.97
Rank movement Down 31 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,261 | 2,879 | 1.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,528 | 3,047 | 1.03 | +168 bearers (+5.8%) | Down 267 places |
| 2020 | #10,559 | 2,898 | 0.97 | -149 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 31 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 Spillane 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 | #10,528 | #10,559 | -0.3% |
| Count | 3,047 | 2,898 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.03 | 0.97 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Spillane bearers went from 3,047 to 2,898 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 31 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,528 to #10,559.
FAQ
Spillane surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Spillane?
Name Census estimates that about 3,323 living Americans carry the surname Spillane. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 103,146 residents.
How common is Spillane?
Spillane ranks #10,559 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.97 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 2,898 people with the surname Spillane. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,323), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.97 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.97 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 Spillane.
Has Spillane become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Spillane went from 3,047 recorded bearers to 2,898. That is a decrease of 149 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,528 to #10,559.
What does the Census say about the background of Spillane?
Among Census respondents with the surname Spillane, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Spillane in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.5% (2,711 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Spillane appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.5%), Hispanic (3.0%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Spillane (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 Spillane mean?
An Irish occupational surname referring to a fiddler or a player of woodwind instruments. 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 Spillane (0.97 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 Spillane?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.