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

Spink, 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 Spink surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Spink in America

Spink is the 13079th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Spink surname appeared 2,348 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Spink.

We can also compare 2010 data for Spink 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 Spink

The surname Spink is of English origin and is believed to have derived from the Old English words "spinc" or "spink," which referred to a small bird, specifically a finch or a sparrow. This connection suggests that the name may have originally been used as a nickname for someone with a small or slight build, or perhaps someone who was quick and agile, like a small bird.

The earliest known record of the Spink surname dates back to the late 12th century, appearing in the Pipe Rolls of Norfolk in 1198 as "Willelmus Spink." This early mention indicates that the name was already established in the Norfolk area of England during this period.

In the 13th century, the surname appeared in various forms, such as "Spynk," "Spynke," and "Spynck," reflecting the variations in spelling common at the time. Interestingly, the name is also found in the Domesday Book of 1086, albeit in a different context, as the name of a village in Cambridgeshire, recorded as "Spingheswrthe."

Over the centuries, the Spink surname has been associated with several notable individuals. One of the earliest was John Spink, a prominent merchant from Bristol who lived in the 15th century and served as the city's mayor in 1458. Another notable bearer of the name was Sir Jonathan Spink (1615-1672), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Malmesbury during the English Civil War.

In the 18th century, William Spink (1717-1783) was a renowned English architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Foundling Hospital and the Terrace Houses in Bloomsbury Square. Another notable figure was Samuel Spink (1786-1847), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars and later became a rear admiral.

Moving into the 19th century, we find Sir Thomas Spink (1845-1918), a British businessman and politician who served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1898 and played a significant role in the development of the city's infrastructure.

It is worth noting that while the Spink surname is predominantly English, it has also been found in other parts of the United Kingdom, particularly in Scotland and Ireland, where it may have evolved from similar-sounding names or through migration and cultural exchange.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Spink

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

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

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

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