2000
#8,966
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,354
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.24
Rare Last name
Spradley
An English occupational surname for someone who cleared woodland or was from a recently cleared area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,680 Americans carry the last name Spradley. That puts it at #9,662 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 93,140 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Spradley 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
3.7K
1 in 93,140
Census rank
#9,662
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,209 bearers of the surname Spradley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9662nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Spradley, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.9%. The next largest groups are Black (20.4%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Spradley
The surname Spradley has its origins in England, tracing back to the medieval period. It is believed to be a locational name derived from a place called Spratley or Spradley, which was likely a small village or hamlet. The name itself is thought to have evolved from the Old English words "spræc" and "leah," which together translate to "brushwood clearing" or "clearing in the thicket."
Historical records suggest that the name Spradley first appeared in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings and population across England commissioned by William the Conqueror. It is listed as a place name, providing evidence of the existence of a settlement called Spradley at that time.
The earliest known record of an individual bearing the surname Spradley dates back to the late 13th century. In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, a certain Robert de Spradley is mentioned as a landowner in Oxfordshire. This document serves as one of the earliest written accounts of the name in its modern spelling.
Throughout the centuries, the surname Spradley has been subject to various spelling variations, including Spradlee, Spradlie, Spradlay, and Spradeley. These variations often reflect regional dialects and the inconsistencies in written records from past eras.
One notable figure with the surname Spradley was Sir John Spradley, a prominent merchant and alderman in the City of London during the 16th century. He was born in 1525 and served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1579.
Another individual of historical significance was William Spradley (1660-1735), a renowned clockmaker from the town of Grantham in Lincolnshire. His intricate timepieces were highly sought after by the English gentry of his time.
In the realm of literature, the name Spradley is associated with Edwin Spradley (1829-1892), an American poet and journalist who gained recognition for his works during the mid-19th century. His collection of poems, "Echoes from the West," was published in 1870.
The 18th century also saw the rise of Samuel Spradley (1718-1795), a prominent farmer and landowner from Virginia. His extensive agricultural holdings and contribution to the local community earned him a respected reputation in the colonial era.
Lastly, one cannot overlook the achievements of Mary Spradley (1892-1972), a pioneering female aviator from the United States. She obtained her pilot's license in 1919 and went on to become one of the first women to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean in 1933.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Spradley
Among Census respondents with the surname Spradley, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.9%. The next largest groups are Black (20.4%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Spradley 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 Spradley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.9% · 2,275
- Black or African American20.4% · 655
- Two or more races4.2% · 135
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 108
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 29
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Spradley
Spradley 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
#9,471
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,434
+80 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 1.16
Rank movement Down 505 places
2020
#9,662
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,209
-225 bearers (-6.6%)
Per 100,000 1.07
Rank movement Down 191 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,966 | 3,354 | 1.24 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,471 | 3,434 | 1.16 | +80 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 505 places |
| 2020 | #9,662 | 3,209 | 1.07 | -225 bearers (-6.6%) | Down 191 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 Spradley 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 | #9,471 | #9,662 | -2.0% |
| Count | 3,434 | 3,209 | -6.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.16 | 1.07 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Spradley bearers went from 3,434 to 3,209 (-6.6% change). The surname moved down 191 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,471 to #9,662.
FAQ
Spradley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Spradley?
Name Census estimates that about 3,680 living Americans carry the surname Spradley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 93,140 residents.
How common is Spradley?
Spradley ranks #9,662 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.07 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 3,209 people with the surname Spradley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,680), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.07 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 Spradley.
Has Spradley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Spradley went from 3,434 recorded bearers to 3,209. That is a decrease of 225 (-6.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,471 to #9,662.
What does the Census say about the background of Spradley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Spradley, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.9%. The next largest groups are Black (20.4%) 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 Spradley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.9% (2,275 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Spradley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (70.9%), Black (20.4%), 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 Spradley (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 Spradley mean?
An English occupational surname for someone who cleared woodland or was from a recently cleared area. 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 Spradley (1.07 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 Spradley?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.