2000
#9,407
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,174
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.18
Rare Last name
Spotts
Derived from the Middle English word "spot," referring to a small plot of land or a dwelling place.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,382 Americans carry the last name Spotts. That puts it at #10,391 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.99 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 101,347 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Spotts 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.
Bearers in the US
3.4K
1 in 101,347
Census rank
#10,391
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,949 bearers of the surname Spotts in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.99 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10391st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Spotts, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Black (6.1%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Spotts
Among Census respondents with the surname Spotts, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Black (6.1%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Spotts 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 Spotts surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.0% · 2,596
- Black or African American6.1% · 181
- Two or more races2.5% · 74
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 66
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Spotts
Spotts 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
#10,150
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,178
+4 bearers (+0.1%)
Per 100,000 1.08
Rank movement Down 743 places
2020
#10,391
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,949
-229 bearers (-7.2%)
Per 100,000 0.99
Rank movement Down 241 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,407 | 3,174 | 1.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,150 | 3,178 | 1.08 | +4 bearers (+0.1%) | Down 743 places |
| 2020 | #10,391 | 2,949 | 0.99 | -229 bearers (-7.2%) | Down 241 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 Spotts 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 | #10,150 | #10,391 | -2.4% |
| Count | 3,178 | 2,949 | -7.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.08 | 0.99 | -8.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Spotts bearers went from 3,178 to 2,949 (-7.2% change). The surname moved down 241 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,150 to #10,391.
FAQ
Spotts surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Spotts?
Name Census estimates that about 3,382 living Americans carry the surname Spotts. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 101,347 residents.
How common is Spotts?
Spotts ranks #10,391 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.99 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 2,949 people with the surname Spotts. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,382), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.99 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.99 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 Spotts.
Has Spotts become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Spotts went from 3,178 recorded bearers to 2,949. That is a decrease of 229 (-7.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,150 to #10,391.
What does the Census say about the background of Spotts?
Among Census respondents with the surname Spotts, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Black (6.1%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Spotts in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.0% (2,596 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Spotts appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.0%), Black (6.1%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Spotts (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 Spotts mean?
Derived from the Middle English word "spot," referring to a small plot of land or a dwelling place. 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 Spotts (0.99 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 Spotts?
Find out how many people are called Spotts on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.