2000
#118,236
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 136
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Spowart
A locational surname referring to someone from a place called Spowart.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Spowart. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Spowart 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 Spowart with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Spowart in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Spowart, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.7%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Spowart
The surname SPOWART is of Scottish origin, emerging in the 12th century from the lands of Spowart in Stirlingshire, Scotland. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "spaec" meaning "woods" and "worth" meaning "farm" or "enclosure", indicating the name's connection to a farm or settlement located within a wooded area.
The earliest recorded instance of the SPOWART name dates back to 1296, when Hugo Spowart was listed in the Ragman Rolls, a collection of homage rolls documenting those who swore fealty to King Edward I of England after the Scottish Wars of Independence. This suggests the SPOWART family's presence in the region during this turbulent period of Scottish history.
In the 15th century, the SPOWART name appeared in various charters and land grants, such as the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, which recorded a John Spowart being granted lands in Stirlingshire in 1456. This further solidifies the family's longstanding ties to the region and their status as landowners.
Notable individuals bearing the SPOWART surname include Sir John Spowart (1520-1585), a prominent Scottish soldier and diplomat who served under King James VI of Scotland and later King James I of England. He played a crucial role in negotiating the Union of the Crowns in 1603, which united the kingdoms of Scotland and England under one monarch.
Another significant figure was Robert Spowart (1675-1744), a Scottish merchant and philanthropist who made a fortune in the East India trade. He founded the Spowart Trust, which provided financial assistance to poor students in Scotland, leaving a lasting legacy in the realm of education.
In the literary world, Mary Spowart (1845-1920) was a Scottish author and poet known for her works that celebrated the beauty of the Scottish Highlands and the rich cultural heritage of her homeland.
The SPOWART name has also been associated with various place names, such as Spowart Muir, a historic moorland area in Stirlingshire, and Spowart Castle, a ruined fortification located near the village of Cumbernauld, reflecting the family's influence and presence in the region.
Throughout the centuries, the SPOWART surname has undergone various spellings, including Spowert, Spowart, and Spovert, reflecting the linguistic evolution and regional variations common in historical records.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Spowart
Among Census respondents with the surname Spowart, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.7%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Spowart 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 Spowart surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.4% · 101
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.7% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Spowart
Spowart 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
#137,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
-14 bearers (-10.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 19,091 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-15 bearers (-12.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,312 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #118,236 | 136 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #137,327 | 122 | 0.04 | -14 bearers (-10.3%) | Down 19,091 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -15 bearers (-12.3%) | Down 14,312 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 Spowart 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 | #137,327 | #151,639 | -10.4% |
| Count | 122 | 107 | -12.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Spowart bearers went from 122 to 107 (-12.3% change). The surname moved down 14,312 positions in the national ranking, going from #137,327 to #151,639.
FAQ
Spowart surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Spowart?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Spowart. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Spowart?
Spowart ranks #151,639 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 107 people with the surname Spowart. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Spowart.
Has Spowart become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Spowart went from 122 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 15 (-12.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #137,327 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Spowart?
Among Census respondents with the surname Spowart, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.7%) and Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Spowart in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.4% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Spowart appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.7%), Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Spowart (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 Spowart mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from a place called Spowart. 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 Spowart (0.04 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 share the surname Spowart?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.