2000
#8,606
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,519
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.30
Rare Last name
Spradling
A surname derived from a place name meaning "dweller by the small enclosure or paddock" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,575 Americans carry the last name Spradling. That puts it at #9,886 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 95,875 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Spradling 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
3.6K
1 in 95,875
Census rank
#9,886
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,118 bearers of the surname Spradling in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9886th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Spradling, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Hispanic (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Spradling
The surname Spradling originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "spræc" meaning "brush" or "underwood" and "hlinc" meaning "ridge" or "bank". Together, these words likely referred to a person who lived near a brushy ridge or bank, giving rise to the locational surname.
One of the earliest records of the name is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Spradlinc". This entry suggests that people with this surname were present in England shortly after the Norman Conquest.
In the 13th century, the name was recorded as "Spradeling" and "Spradling" in various county records across southern England, particularly in Hampshire, Wiltshire, and Somerset. This indicates the family's presence in these regions during that time.
Notable historical figures with the Spradling surname include William Spradling, born in 1585 in Somerset, who was a prominent merchant and landowner. John Spradling, born in 1632 in Hampshire, was a soldier in the English Civil War and fought for the Parliamentarian forces.
In the 17th century, the name appears in parish records from the village of Spradling near Exeter in Devon, suggesting a possible connection to a place name of the same spelling.
Sarah Spradling, born in 1712 in Wiltshire, was a noted herbalist and midwife who published a book on traditional remedies in 1765.
Thomas Spradling, born in 1789 in Somerset, was a successful businessman and philanthropist who funded the construction of several schools and a hospital in his hometown.
As the Spradling family migrated to different parts of England and beyond, the spelling of the name varied, with alternative forms such as Spradlyn, Spradlen, and Spratling appearing in historical records.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Spradling
Among Census respondents with the surname Spradling, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Hispanic (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Spradling 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 Spradling surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.7% · 2,736
- Two or more races4.8% · 150
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 122
- Black or African American2.1% · 66
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 25
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Spradling
Spradling 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
#9,427
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,450
-69 bearers (-2.0%)
Per 100,000 1.17
Rank movement Down 821 places
2020
#9,886
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,118
-332 bearers (-9.6%)
Per 100,000 1.04
Rank movement Down 459 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,606 | 3,519 | 1.30 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,427 | 3,450 | 1.17 | -69 bearers (-2.0%) | Down 821 places |
| 2020 | #9,886 | 3,118 | 1.04 | -332 bearers (-9.6%) | Down 459 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 Spradling 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 | #9,427 | #9,886 | -4.9% |
| Count | 3,450 | 3,118 | -9.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.17 | 1.04 | -10.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Spradling bearers went from 3,450 to 3,118 (-9.6% change). The surname moved down 459 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,427 to #9,886.
FAQ
Spradling surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Spradling?
Name Census estimates that about 3,575 living Americans carry the surname Spradling. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 95,875 residents.
How common is Spradling?
Spradling ranks #9,886 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.04 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 3,118 people with the surname Spradling. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,575), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.04 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 Spradling.
Has Spradling become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Spradling went from 3,450 recorded bearers to 3,118. That is a decrease of 332 (-9.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,427 to #9,886.
What does the Census say about the background of Spradling?
Among Census respondents with the surname Spradling, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Spradling in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.7% (2,736 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Spradling appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.7%), Two or More Races (4.8%), Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Spradling (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 Spradling mean?
A surname derived from a place name meaning "dweller by the small enclosure or paddock" in Old English. 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 Spradling (1.04 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 Spradling?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.