2000
#4,541
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,172
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.66
Rare Last name
Spires
Derived from Middle English and Old French, referring to someone who lived near a spire or steeple.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,214 Americans carry the last name Spires. That puts it at #4,787 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.40 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 41,728 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Spires 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 Spires with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.2K
1 in 41,728
Census rank
#4,787
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,163 bearers of the surname Spires in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.40 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4787th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Spires, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.6%. The next largest groups are Black (11.9%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Spires
The surname "Spires" originated in England during the late Anglo-Saxon period, typically between the 9th and 11th centuries. It is derived from the Old English word "spir," which referred to a tall, slender object or structure, particularly a spire or steeple on a church or other building.
The name was initially used as a descriptive term, likely referring to someone who lived near or worked on a building with a prominent spire. It may have also been used as an occupational name for those involved in the construction or maintenance of such structures.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name "Spires" can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings and property across England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears several times in various spellings, such as "Spire" and "Spyr."
In the 12th century, a notable individual named William de Spires was recorded as a landowner and knight in Northamptonshire. Another early reference is found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1195, where a person named Richard Spire is mentioned.
During the Middle Ages, the name "Spires" was often associated with specific locations, such as Spire's Green in Essex and Spire's Hill in Wiltshire. These place names likely originated from individuals bearing the surname and living in those areas.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname "Spires" in its modern spelling dates back to 1327, when a John Spires was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire.
Notable individuals with the surname "Spires" throughout history include:
1. Roger Spires (c. 1440-1508), an English churchman who served as the Bishop of Norwich from 1494 until his death.
2. John Spires (1615-1663), an English Puritan minister and author who wrote several religious works.
3. Elizabeth Spires (born 1952), an American poet and author known for her collections of poetry, including "Worldling" and "The Wave-Maker."
4. Christopher Spires (born 1958), a British actor and writer known for his roles in television shows like "The Bill" and "Casualty."
5. Steven Spires (born 1970), an American baseball player who played in Major League Baseball for teams like the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Spires
Among Census respondents with the surname Spires, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.6%. The next largest groups are Black (11.9%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Spires 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 Spires surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.6% · 5,770
- Black or African American11.9% · 854
- Two or more races4.2% · 304
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 177
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 34
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Spires
Spires 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
#4,672
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,592
+420 bearers (+5.9%)
Per 100,000 2.57
Rank movement Down 131 places
2020
#4,787
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,163
-429 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 2.40
Rank movement Down 115 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,541 | 7,172 | 2.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,672 | 7,592 | 2.57 | +420 bearers (+5.9%) | Down 131 places |
| 2020 | #4,787 | 7,163 | 2.40 | -429 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 115 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 Spires 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 | #4,672 | #4,787 | -2.5% |
| Count | 7,592 | 7,163 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.57 | 2.40 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Spires bearers went from 7,592 to 7,163 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 115 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,672 to #4,787.
FAQ
Spires surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Spires?
Name Census estimates that about 8,214 living Americans carry the surname Spires. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 41,728 residents.
How common is Spires?
Spires ranks #4,787 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.40 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,163 people with the surname Spires. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,214), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.4 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.40 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Spires.
Has Spires become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Spires went from 7,592 recorded bearers to 7,163. That is a decrease of 429 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,672 to #4,787.
What does the Census say about the background of Spires?
Among Census respondents with the surname Spires, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.6%. The next largest groups are Black (11.9%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Spires in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.6% (5,770 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Spires appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.6%), Black (11.9%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Spires (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 Spires mean?
Derived from Middle English and Old French, referring to someone who lived near a spire or steeple. 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 Spires (2.40 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 have the surname Spires?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.