2000
#7,856
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,907
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.45
Rare Last name
Spry
An English topographic surname for someone who lived near a small wood or thicket.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,238 Americans carry the last name Spry. That puts it at #8,548 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 80,876 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Spry 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 Spry with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.2K
1 in 80,876
Census rank
#8,548
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,696 bearers of the surname Spry in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8548th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Spry, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.3%. The next largest groups are Black (10.4%) and Two or More Races (5.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Spry
The surname SPRY originated in England, deriving from an Old English word "spryg" meaning a small shoot or twig. It likely first arose as a nickname for a slender or nimble person. The earliest recorded spelling was Spre in the Domesday Book of 1086, referring to a landowner from Somerset.
Over the centuries, variations like Sprey, Sprie, and Spray emerged before standardizing as SPRY by the 16th century. Many early bearers hailed from Somerset and Devon, where the name Spry was particularly concentrated in parishes like Culmstock. Some may have adopted locational names like Spryfield from hamlets, though these place names eventually died out.
Notable early examples include Walter Spry (c.1300-1380), a wealthy landowner in Gloucestershire. John Spry (1595-1659) was an English Puritan minister who emigrated to New England, becoming one of the founders of Charlestown, Massachusetts. Sir Richard Spry (1715-1775) was a British naval captain who served with distinction in the Seven Years' War.
Benjamin Spry (1825-1894) was an influential English cricketer who captained Sussex and played for the Gentlemen of England. Paul Spry (1871-1952) was an English champion cyclist who won multiple British titles. Richard Henry Spry (1915-2010) served as Governor-General of Australia from 1972 to 1977.
Throughout its long history, the SPRY surname has been distinctively English, initially concentrated in the West Country before spreading more widely. Its origins as a nickname for an active, sprightly individual reflect its enduring presence amongst families of that region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Spry
Among Census respondents with the surname Spry, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.3%. The next largest groups are Black (10.4%) and Two or More Races (5.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Spry 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 Spry surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.3% · 2,894
- Black or African American10.4% · 385
- Two or more races5.7% · 211
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 112
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 62
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 32
Timeline
Historical Census data for Spry
Spry 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
#8,398
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,940
+33 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 1.34
Rank movement Down 542 places
2020
#8,548
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,696
-244 bearers (-6.2%)
Per 100,000 1.24
Rank movement Down 150 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,856 | 3,907 | 1.45 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,398 | 3,940 | 1.34 | +33 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 542 places |
| 2020 | #8,548 | 3,696 | 1.24 | -244 bearers (-6.2%) | Down 150 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 Spry 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 | #8,398 | #8,548 | -1.8% |
| Count | 3,940 | 3,696 | -6.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.34 | 1.24 | -7.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Spry bearers went from 3,940 to 3,696 (-6.2% change). The surname moved down 150 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,398 to #8,548.
FAQ
Spry surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Spry?
Name Census estimates that about 4,238 living Americans carry the surname Spry. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 80,876 residents.
How common is Spry?
Spry ranks #8,548 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.24 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 3,696 people with the surname Spry. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,238), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.24 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 Spry.
Has Spry become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Spry went from 3,940 recorded bearers to 3,696. That is a decrease of 244 (-6.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,398 to #8,548.
What does the Census say about the background of Spry?
Among Census respondents with the surname Spry, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.3%. The next largest groups are Black (10.4%) and Two or More Races (5.7%). 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 Spry in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.3% (2,894 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Spry appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.3%), Black (10.4%), Two or More Races (5.7%). 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 Spry (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 Spry mean?
An English topographic surname for someone who lived near a small wood or thicket. 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 Spry (1.24 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 surname Spry?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.