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

Spotts, 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 Spotts surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Spotts in America

Spotts is the 10150th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Spotts surname appeared 3,178 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 Spotts.

We can also compare 2010 data for Spotts 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 Spotts

The surname Spotts has its origins in the Anglo-Saxon territories of medieval England. It is derived from the Old English word "spott," which referred to a small spot or patch of land. This suggests that the name may have originally been a descriptive nickname for someone who lived on a small plot of land or owned a particularly small piece of property.

The earliest recorded instances of the Spotts surname can be traced back to the late 12th century in various county records and tax rolls. One notable early bearer of the name was Robert de Spotte, who was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1195. This indicates that the name had already become an established hereditary surname by this time.

In the following centuries, the name appears to have spread across various regions of England, with variations in spelling such as Spott, Spotte, and Spottes appearing in records from counties like Lincolnshire, Norfolk, and Suffolk. This suggests that the name had branched out from its original Yorkshire roots.

One of the earliest known instances of the Spotts spelling can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, where a John Spotts is listed as a taxpayer. This provides evidence that the current spelling had emerged by the 14th century.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals bearing the Spotts surname. One such figure was Thomas Spotts (1570-1645), an English merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers in London. Another was John Spotts (1668-1728), a prominent landowner and justice of the peace in Gloucestershire.

In the 19th century, James Spotts (1810-1892) was a successful industrialist and entrepreneur who founded the Spotts Iron Works in Pennsylvania, United States. His innovative contributions to the iron and steel industry earned him recognition as a pioneer in the field.

Another notable bearer of the Spotts name was Sir Robert Spotts (1855-1932), a British military officer who served in the Second Boer War and World War I. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for his bravery and leadership in combat.

While the Spotts surname may have originated from humble beginnings as a descriptive nickname, it has been carried by a diverse array of individuals throughout history, from merchants and landowners to industrialists and military leaders.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Spotts

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

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

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

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