2000
#150,436
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Spreadborough
A locational surname referring to someone from Spriddenborough or Spreadborough, villages in Yorkshire, England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Spreadborough. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Spreadborough 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 Spreadborough with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Spreadborough in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Spreadborough, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Spreadborough
The surname Spreadborough is of English origin and is believed to have originated in the county of Yorkshire during the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century. It is derived from the Old English words "spræd" meaning "spread" or "scattered" and "burg" meaning "a fortified town or dwelling." This suggests that the name may have referred to someone who lived in a scattered or spread-out community or settlement.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Spreadborough can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire, a historical record of tax payments, from the year 1379. The name appears as "Spredburgh" in this document, which is likely an early spelling variation.
In the 15th century, the surname is mentioned in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield, a collection of legal records from the Yorkshire region. These records document a William Spreadburgh who was involved in a land dispute in the year 1436.
During the 16th century, the Spreadborough family seemed to have established a presence in the village of Hipperholme, near Halifax in West Yorkshire. Parish records from this time mention several individuals with the surname, such as John Spreadborough, who was born in 1587.
Notable individuals with the surname Spreadborough include:
1. William Spreadborough (1789-1873), an English surveyor and cartographer who worked for the British East India Company and is known for his maps of India.
2. Thomas Spreadborough (1856-1924), a Canadian naturalist and explorer who conducted extensive surveys of the Canadian Arctic and contributed significantly to the study of northern wildlife.
3. Margaret Spreadborough (1873-1952), a Canadian botanist and plant collector who accompanied her husband, Thomas Spreadborough, on many of his expeditions and made significant contributions to the study of Canadian flora.
4. John Spreadborough (1615-1679), an English Puritan clergyman and theologian who served as the vicar of Longridge in Lancashire.
5. Robert Spreadborough (1811-1892), an English architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in the city of Leeds, including the Leeds Corn Exchange.
While the surname Spreadborough may have originated from a specific location or settlement in Yorkshire, its meaning and historical references suggest a connection to the concept of a spread-out or scattered community, reflecting the settlement patterns of the region during the medieval period.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Spreadborough
Among Census respondents with the surname Spreadborough, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Spreadborough 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 Spreadborough surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.0% · 91
- Two or more races8.4% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.7% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Spreadborough
Spreadborough 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
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
+4 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,608 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
+3 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,405 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #150,436 | 100 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 5,608 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.9%) | Up 4,405 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 Spreadborough 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 | #156,044 | #151,639 | 2.8% |
| Count | 104 | 107 | 2.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Spreadborough bearers went from 104 to 107 (+2.9% change). The surname moved up 4,405 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #151,639.
FAQ
Spreadborough surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Spreadborough?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Spreadborough. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Spreadborough?
Spreadborough ranks #151,639 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 107 people with the surname Spreadborough. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Spreadborough.
Has Spreadborough become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Spreadborough went from 104 recorded bearers to 107. That is an increase of 3 (+2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Spreadborough?
Among Census respondents with the surname Spreadborough, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.7%). 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 Spreadborough in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.0% (91 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Spreadborough appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.0%), Two or More Races (8.4%), American Indian/Alaska Native (3.7%). 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 Spreadborough (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 Spreadborough mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from Spriddenborough or Spreadborough, villages in Yorkshire, England. 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 Spreadborough (0.04 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 have the last name Spreadborough?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Spreadborough on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.