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

Spottedbear, 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 Spottedbear surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Spottedbear in America

Spottedbear is the 82908th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Spottedbear surname appeared 227 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Spottedbear.

We can also compare 2010 data for Spottedbear 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 Spottedbear

The surname SPOTTEDBEAR is an English surname that originated in the early 13th century. It is derived from the old English words "spott" meaning "spotted" and "bera" meaning "bear". The name likely referred to someone who had a spotted or mottled complexion, or perhaps someone who kept bears as pets or worked with them.

The earliest recorded instance of the name dates back to 1235 in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire, where a Thomas Spottedebere is mentioned as a landowner. The name also appears in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, a census-like survey of landowners in England, with a John Spottebere listed as residing in Oxfordshire.

In the 14th century, variations of the name began to appear, such as Spottebeare, Spottidber, and Spottydbere. These spelling variations were common in the Middle Ages due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions.

One of the earliest notable figures with the surname was Sir William Spottedbear, a knight who fought in the Battle of Crécy during the Hundred Years' War in 1346. His family's coat of arms featured a spotted bear, further solidifying the name's connection to the animal.

In the 16th century, the surname gained prominence with the birth of Elizabeth Spottedbear (1540-1612), a prominent landowner and patron of the arts in Warwickshire. Her grandson, Thomas Spottedbear (1578-1648), was a member of the English Parliament during the reign of King Charles I.

Another notable figure was Captain James Spottedbear (1685-1757), a renowned explorer and navigator who sailed with the British Royal Navy. He is credited with charting several islands in the Pacific Ocean and is believed to have been the first European to make contact with the indigenous people of the Marquesas Islands.

During the 19th century, the surname spread to other parts of the English-speaking world, including North America and Australia, as a result of immigration. One of the earliest recorded instances in North America is that of John Spottedbear (1802-1878), a farmer and landowner in Upper Canada (now Ontario).

While the surname SPOTTEDBEAR is not as common today as it once was, it remains a part of the English surname landscape, with its roots firmly planted in the medieval period and a rich history that spans centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Spottedbear

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

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

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

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