2000
#4,534
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,184
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.66
Rare Last name
Spruill
Derived from a place name meaning "spring hill" in Old English, likely referring to someone who lived near such a location.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,287 Americans carry the last name Spruill. That puts it at #4,746 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.42 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 41,360 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Spruill 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.
Bearers in the US
8.3K
1 in 41,360
Census rank
#4,746
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,227 bearers of the surname Spruill in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.42 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4746th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Spruill, the largest self-reported group is Black at 53.1%. The next largest groups are White (38.0%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Spruill
The surname Spruill is believed to have originated in England, with roots dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English words "spruill" or "spruyl," which referred to a small stream or brook. This suggests that the name may have been initially borne by someone who lived near or worked with a small waterway.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Spruill can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275, where a William Spruyll is mentioned. Additionally, the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 include a reference to a Richard de Spruyll from Gloucestershire.
The name Spruill has been linked to various place names throughout England, such as Spruill's Green in Gloucestershire and Spruill's Farm in Warwickshire. These locations may have been named after early bearers of the surname or could have influenced the development of the name itself.
In the 16th century, a notable figure with the surname Spruill was John Spruill, a merchant and alderman who lived in Bristol, England, from around 1540 to 1610. His involvement in local government and trade provides insight into the social standing of some Spruill families during that era.
Another prominent individual was Sir Richard Spruill, who served as a member of the English Parliament in the late 17th century, representing the constituency of Wiltshire from 1689 to 1698. His political career reflected the increasing influence and prominence of the Spruill name during that time period.
The 18th century saw the emergence of Henry Spruill, a renowned author and philosopher born in 1715 in Gloucestershire. His literary works and contributions to philosophical discourse further established the Spruill name within intellectual circles.
In the 19th century, the Spruill surname gained recognition in the military arena with General William Spruill, a highly decorated officer who served in the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars. He was born in 1785 and gained fame for his strategic leadership and bravery on the battlefield.
Throughout its history, the surname Spruill has been associated with various occupations, ranging from merchants and politicians to authors and military leaders. Its origins can be traced back to rural England, where it likely referred to individuals living near small streams or brooks, eventually evolving into a widely recognized English surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Spruill
Among Census respondents with the surname Spruill, the largest self-reported group is Black at 53.1%. The next largest groups are White (38.0%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Spruill 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 Spruill surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American53.1% · 3,835
- White38.0% · 2,744
- Two or more races5.0% · 361
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 226
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 35
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 26
Timeline
Historical Census data for Spruill
Spruill 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
#4,616
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,683
+499 bearers (+6.9%)
Per 100,000 2.60
Rank movement Down 82 places
2020
#4,746
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,227
-456 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 2.42
Rank movement Down 130 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,534 | 7,184 | 2.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,616 | 7,683 | 2.60 | +499 bearers (+6.9%) | Down 82 places |
| 2020 | #4,746 | 7,227 | 2.42 | -456 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 130 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 Spruill 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 | #4,616 | #4,746 | -2.8% |
| Count | 7,683 | 7,227 | -5.9% |
| Per 100K | 2.60 | 2.42 | -7.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Spruill bearers went from 7,683 to 7,227 (-5.9% change). The surname moved down 130 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,616 to #4,746.
FAQ
Spruill surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Spruill?
Name Census estimates that about 8,287 living Americans carry the surname Spruill. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 41,360 residents.
How common is Spruill?
Spruill ranks #4,746 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.42 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,227 people with the surname Spruill. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,287), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.42 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.42 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Spruill.
Has Spruill become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Spruill went from 7,683 recorded bearers to 7,227. That is a decrease of 456 (-5.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,616 to #4,746.
What does the Census say about the background of Spruill?
Among Census respondents with the surname Spruill, the largest self-reported group is Black at 53.1%. The next largest groups are White (38.0%) and Two or More Races (5.0%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Spruill in the 2020 Census, accounting for 53.1% (3,835 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Spruill appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (53.1%), White (38.0%), Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Spruill (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 Spruill mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "spring hill" in Old English, likely referring to someone who lived near such a location. 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 Spruill (2.42 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 common is the surname Spruill?
If you just want to know how many people are called Spruill, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.