2000
#12,181
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,345
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.87
Rare Last name
Spink
An English occupational surname referring to someone who made or sold spigots, taps, or stopcocks.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,486 Americans carry the last name Spink. That puts it at #13,429 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 137,874 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Spink 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 Spink with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.5K
1 in 137,874
Census rank
#13,429
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,168 bearers of the surname Spink in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13429th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Spink, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Spink
Among Census respondents with the surname Spink, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Spink 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 Spink surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 1,996
- Two or more races4.0% · 86
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 38
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 23
- Black or African American0.9% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Spink
Spink 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
#13,079
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,348
+3 bearers (+0.1%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Down 898 places
2020
#13,429
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,168
-180 bearers (-7.7%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Down 350 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,181 | 2,345 | 0.87 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,079 | 2,348 | 0.80 | +3 bearers (+0.1%) | Down 898 places |
| 2020 | #13,429 | 2,168 | 0.73 | -180 bearers (-7.7%) | Down 350 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 Spink 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 | #13,079 | #13,429 | -2.7% |
| Count | 2,348 | 2,168 | -7.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.80 | 0.73 | -9.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Spink bearers went from 2,348 to 2,168 (-7.7% change). The surname moved down 350 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,079 to #13,429.
FAQ
Spink surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Spink?
Name Census estimates that about 2,486 living Americans carry the surname Spink. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 137,874 residents.
How common is Spink?
Spink ranks #13,429 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.73 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 2,168 people with the surname Spink. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,486), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.73 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 Spink.
Has Spink become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Spink went from 2,348 recorded bearers to 2,168. That is a decrease of 180 (-7.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,079 to #13,429.
What does the Census say about the background of Spink?
Among Census respondents with the surname Spink, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Spink in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (1,996 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Spink appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Two or More Races (4.0%), Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Spink (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 Spink mean?
An English occupational surname referring to someone who made or sold spigots, taps, or stopcocks. 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 Spink (0.73 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 Spink?
You can see how many people have the surname Spink on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.