Spriggs last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Spriggs

An English occupational surname referring to someone who made or sold twigs and small branches.

Spriggs, 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 Spriggs surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Spriggs in America

Spriggs is the 4925th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Spriggs surname appeared 7,143 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Spriggs.

We can also compare 2010 data for Spriggs 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 4925 4773 3.13%
Count 7,143 6,778 5.24%
Proportion per 100k 2.42 2.51 -3.65%

The history of the last name Spriggs

The surname Spriggs has its origins in England, where it first emerged in the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "sprig," which referred to a small branch or twig, suggesting that the name may have initially been given as a nickname or occupational name to someone who worked with small branches or twigs, such as a basket weaver or thatcher.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Spriggs can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1275, where a John Sprigge is listed. The spelling variations of the name during this time included Sprigge, Sprigg, and Spriggs, reflecting the inconsistencies in orthography and pronunciation common in medieval times.

The Spriggs surname is also mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1279, indicating that the name was present in multiple regions of England during the late 13th century. This record lists a William Sprigge, who may have been a landowner or a person of some prominence in the local community.

In the 16th century, the name appears in various historical documents, including parish records and tax rolls. One notable figure from this period was John Spriggs, born around 1550 in Gloucestershire. He was a merchant and alderman in the city of Bristol, playing an influential role in local affairs.

During the 17th century, the Spriggs surname continued to be present in various parts of England. In 1642, a William Spriggs was listed as a freeman of the city of Norwich, indicating his status as a respected citizen with certain rights and privileges.

Another notable individual bearing the Spriggs name was Sir Nathaniel Spriggs (1628-1688), an English merchant and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Lymington in Hampshire. He was involved in the East India Company and played a role in the political and economic affairs of his time.

In the 18th century, the Spriggs surname gained further prominence with individuals such as Robert Spriggs (1700-1770), a noted English architect who designed several notable buildings, including the Customs House in King's Lynn, Norfolk.

As the centuries progressed, the Spriggs name spread to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia, where descendants of English immigrants continued to carry on the surname and its legacy.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Spriggs

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

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 Spriggs was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 51.63% 3,688
Non-Hispanic Black Only 41.40% 2,957
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.43% 31
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.77% 55
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 3.49% 249
Hispanic Origin 2.28% 163

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 Spriggs has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 51.63% 53.78% -4.08%
Black 41.40% 41.44% -0.10%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.43% 0.24% 56.72%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.77% 0.72% 6.71%
Two or More Races 3.49% 2.33% 39.86%
Hispanic 2.28% 1.49% 41.91%

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

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

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"Spriggs last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on October 5, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/spriggs-surname-popularity/.

"Spriggs last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/spriggs-surname-popularity/. Accessed 5 October, 2024

Spriggs last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/spriggs-surname-popularity/.

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