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

Sprague, 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 Sprague surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Sprague in America

Sprague is the 1584th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Sprague surname appeared 22,610 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 8 people would have the surname Sprague.

We can also compare 2010 data for Sprague 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 Sprague

The surname Sprague is believed to have originated in England. It is a locational name derived from the Old English words "spræc" or "spraec," meaning "speech" or "discourse," and "hoh" or "hoh," meaning "ridge" or "spur of land." Thus, the name likely referred to a person who lived on a ridge or spur of land known for its prominence in speech or discourse.

The name can be traced back to the 13th century, with early recorded instances such as William de Spragge in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273. The Domesday Book, compiled in 1086, does not mention the name directly, but it does include references to places with similar names, like Sproughton in Suffolk.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Sprague was Sir John Sprague, who lived in the late 14th century and was a member of the English gentry. Another notable figure was Edward Sprague, born around 1575, who was one of the original settlers of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in the early 17th century.

In the 17th century, the name appears in various spellings, including Spragg, Spragge, and Sprage. Ralph Sprague, born in 1603, was an English immigrant to America and one of the founders of Charlestown, Massachusetts. His descendants played a significant role in the early history of New England.

Other notable individuals with the surname Sprague include William Sprague, an American politician and governor of Rhode Island, who lived from 1799 to 1856. Jedediah Sprague, born in 1799, was an American inventor and businessman known for his contributions to the development of the printing press and the manufacture of firearms.

John Treadwell Sprague, born in 1810, was a prominent American businessman and industrialist who played a crucial role in the development of the textile industry in New England. Lastly, John Franklin Sprague, born in 1859, was a renowned American mathematician and physicist who made significant contributions to the fields of electricity and magnetism.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Sprague

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

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

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

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