2000
#1,466
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,283
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.26
Uncommon Last name
Sprague
An English toponymic surname derived from various places named Sprague, likely referring to someone living near a sprague or brush-covered area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 24,618 Americans carry the last name Sprague. That puts it at #1,623 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 13,923 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sprague 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 Sprague with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
25K
1 in 13,923
Census rank
#1,623
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
21K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 21,468 bearers of the surname Sprague in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1623rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sprague, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sprague
Among Census respondents with the surname Sprague, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Sprague 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 Sprague surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.6% · 19,456
- Two or more races3.8% · 808
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 704
- Black or African American1.0% · 204
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 149
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 147
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sprague
Sprague 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
#1,584
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,610
+327 bearers (+1.5%)
Per 100,000 7.66
Rank movement Down 118 places
2020
#1,623
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,468
-1,142 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 7.18
Rank movement Down 39 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,466 | 22,283 | 8.26 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,584 | 22,610 | 7.66 | +327 bearers (+1.5%) | Down 118 places |
| 2020 | #1,623 | 21,468 | 7.18 | -1,142 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 39 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 Sprague 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 | #1,584 | #1,623 | -2.5% |
| Count | 22,610 | 21,468 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 7.66 | 7.18 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sprague bearers went from 22,610 to 21,468 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 39 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,584 to #1,623.
FAQ
Sprague surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sprague?
Name Census estimates that about 24,618 living Americans carry the surname Sprague. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 13,923 residents.
How common is Sprague?
Sprague ranks #1,623 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.18 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 21,468 people with the surname Sprague. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (24,618), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.18 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.18 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Sprague.
Has Sprague become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sprague went from 22,610 recorded bearers to 21,468. That is a decrease of 1,142 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,584 to #1,623.
What does the Census say about the background of Sprague?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sprague, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Sprague in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.6% (19,456 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sprague appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.6%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Sprague (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 Sprague mean?
An English toponymic surname derived from various places named Sprague, likely referring to someone living near a sprague or brush-covered 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 Sprague (7.18 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 are called Sprague?
Find out how common the surname Sprague is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.