2000
#10,465
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,816
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.04
Rare Last name
Spray
An occupational surname for someone who made decorative metalwork, such as buckles or clasps.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,030 Americans carry the last name Spray. That puts it at #11,406 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.88 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 113,120 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Spray 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 Spray with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.0K
1 in 113,120
Census rank
#11,406
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,642 bearers of the surname Spray in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.88 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11406th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Spray, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Spray
The surname SPRAY has its origins in England, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "spræc," meaning a small branch or twig, potentially alluding to someone who lived near a wooded area or worked with wood.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name SPRAY can be found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, England, where a John Spray was mentioned in 1584. The name also appeared in the Gloucestershire County Records, with a Thomas Spray being documented in 1596.
SPRAY is thought to have been initially concentrated in the counties of Suffolk, Gloucestershire, and Somerset, although it eventually spread to other parts of England. The surname may have originated from a locational name, such as "Spray's Meadow" or "Spray's Farm," referring to a place where a person named Spray once lived.
In the renowned Domesday Book, compiled in 1086 by William the Conqueror, there are no direct mentions of the surname SPRAY. However, the book does record several place names that could have contributed to the development of the surname, such as Spree in Bedfordshire and Sprey in Devonshire.
Notable individuals with the surname SPRAY throughout history include:
1. John Spray (c. 1570-1627), an English clergyman and author, known for his work "The Manuall of the Study of Certaine Passages of the Holy Scriptures."
2. Samuel Spray (1779-1853), an English engraver and artist, known for his illustrations of plants and botanical specimens.
3. William Spray (1823-1886), a British architect and surveyor, responsible for designing several notable buildings in London, including the former Strand Theatre.
4. Hilda Spray (1876-1949), an English painter and illustrator, known for her landscape paintings and illustrations for children's books.
5. Ethel Spray (1888-1962), a British artist and sculptor, known for her bronze and stone sculptures, often depicting animals and mythological figures.
The surname SPRAY has also been associated with various place names across England, such as Sprayleigh in Devonshire and Spraytonbury in Somerset, further reinforcing its connection to specific geographical locations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Spray
Among Census respondents with the surname Spray, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Spray 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 Spray surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.6% · 2,367
- Two or more races4.3% · 113
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 85
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 29
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 25
- Black or African American0.9% · 23
Timeline
Historical Census data for Spray
Spray 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
#11,122
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,851
+35 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 0.97
Rank movement Down 657 places
2020
#11,406
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,642
-209 bearers (-7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Down 284 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,465 | 2,816 | 1.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,122 | 2,851 | 0.97 | +35 bearers (+1.2%) | Down 657 places |
| 2020 | #11,406 | 2,642 | 0.88 | -209 bearers (-7.3%) | Down 284 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 Spray 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 | #11,122 | #11,406 | -2.6% |
| Count | 2,851 | 2,642 | -7.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.97 | 0.88 | -8.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Spray bearers went from 2,851 to 2,642 (-7.3% change). The surname moved down 284 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,122 to #11,406.
FAQ
Spray surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Spray?
Name Census estimates that about 3,030 living Americans carry the surname Spray. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 113,120 residents.
How common is Spray?
Spray ranks #11,406 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.88 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 2,642 people with the surname Spray. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,030), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.88 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.88 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 Spray.
Has Spray become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Spray went from 2,851 recorded bearers to 2,642. That is a decrease of 209 (-7.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,122 to #11,406.
What does the Census say about the background of Spray?
Among Census respondents with the surname Spray, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Spray in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.6% (2,367 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Spray appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.6%), Two or More Races (4.3%), Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Spray (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 Spray mean?
An occupational surname for someone who made decorative metalwork, such as buckles or clasps. 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 Spray (0.88 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 last name Spray?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Spray on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.