2000
#4,688
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,909
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.56
Rare Last name
Spurgeon
An occupational surname for a maker or seller of spurs, which are devices attached to horseback riders' boots.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,740 Americans carry the last name Spurgeon. That puts it at #5,036 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 44,284 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Spurgeon 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 Spurgeon with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.7K
1 in 44,284
Census rank
#5,036
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,750 bearers of the surname Spurgeon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5036th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Spurgeon, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.2%. The next largest groups are Black (5.3%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Spurgeon
The surname Spurgeon is of English origin, derived from the Old English term "spor" meaning "spur" or "track" and the suffix "-geon" meaning "little." It likely originated as a descriptive surname referring to a person who lived near a track or a path.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Spurgeon dates back to the 13th century in the Pipe Rolls of Sussex, England, where it was spelled as "Sporegon." Over time, various spellings emerged, including Spurgin, Spurgeon, and Spurgin.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Spurgeon was John Spurgeon, a prominent merchant who lived in the city of Norwich, England, in the late 15th century. His legacy included significant contributions to the construction of the Norwich Cathedral.
In the 16th century, the Spurgeon family established roots in the village of Stambourne, Essex. This area is believed to have been the ancestral home of the renowned Baptist preacher, Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892), one of the most influential figures in the history of the Protestant Christian church.
Another notable Spurgeon was Sir John Spurgeon (1556-1610), a wealthy merchant and Member of Parliament for the City of London during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. He played a crucial role in the establishment of the East India Company.
The name Spurgeon has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Spurgeon Hill in Kent and Spurgeon's Farm in Buckinghamshire. These place names likely derived from individuals with the surname Spurgeon who lived or owned land in those areas.
Other prominent individuals with the surname Spurgeon include William Spurgeon (1776-1856), a British artist known for his landscape paintings, and Thomas Spurgeon (1856-1917), the son of Charles Haddon Spurgeon and a Baptist minister in his own right.
While the surname Spurgeon is not among the most common in England, it has a rich history dating back to the Middle Ages and has been carried by individuals who have made significant contributions in various fields, including religion, commerce, and the arts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Spurgeon
Among Census respondents with the surname Spurgeon, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.2%. The next largest groups are Black (5.3%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Spurgeon 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 Spurgeon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.2% · 5,749
- Black or African American5.3% · 361
- Two or more races4.3% · 292
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 266
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 42
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 40
Timeline
Historical Census data for Spurgeon
Spurgeon 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
#4,981
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,047
+138 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 2.39
Rank movement Down 293 places
2020
#5,036
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,750
-297 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 2.26
Rank movement Down 55 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,688 | 6,909 | 2.56 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,981 | 7,047 | 2.39 | +138 bearers (+2.0%) | Down 293 places |
| 2020 | #5,036 | 6,750 | 2.26 | -297 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 55 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 Spurgeon 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 | #4,981 | #5,036 | -1.1% |
| Count | 7,047 | 6,750 | -4.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.39 | 2.26 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Spurgeon bearers went from 7,047 to 6,750 (-4.2% change). The surname moved down 55 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,981 to #5,036.
FAQ
Spurgeon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Spurgeon?
Name Census estimates that about 7,740 living Americans carry the surname Spurgeon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 44,284 residents.
How common is Spurgeon?
Spurgeon ranks #5,036 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.26 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 6,750 people with the surname Spurgeon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,740), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.26 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 Spurgeon.
Has Spurgeon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Spurgeon went from 7,047 recorded bearers to 6,750. That is a decrease of 297 (-4.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,981 to #5,036.
What does the Census say about the background of Spurgeon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Spurgeon, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.2%. The next largest groups are Black (5.3%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Spurgeon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.2% (5,749 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Spurgeon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.2%), Black (5.3%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Spurgeon (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 Spurgeon mean?
An occupational surname for a maker or seller of spurs, which are devices attached to horseback riders' boots. 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 Spurgeon (2.26 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 are called Spurgeon?
See how many people are called Spurgeon on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.