2000
#10,078
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,949
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.09
Rare Last name
Spurlin
An English occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of spurs, derived from Old English "spura".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,000 Americans carry the last name Spurlin. That puts it at #11,506 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.88 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 114,251 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Spurlin 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
3.0K
1 in 114,251
Census rank
#11,506
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,616 bearers of the surname Spurlin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.88 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11506th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Spurlin, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.9%. The next largest groups are Black (7.5%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Spurlin
The surname Spurlin is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "spore," meaning a trace or track, and "hlinc," meaning a ridge or hill. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a ridge or hill with some sort of path or track leading to it.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is spelled "Spurlinge." This entry refers to a location in Berkshire, indicating that the name was likely associated with a specific place or landholding at that time.
By the 13th century, the name had evolved into various spellings such as "Spurling," "Spurlynge," and "Sperling." These variations can be found in various historical records and documents from that period, including tax rolls, court proceedings, and parish registers.
One notable individual with the surname Spurlin was John Spurlin, a merchant and landowner who lived in Gloucestershire in the late 15th century. Records show that he was involved in trade with other parts of Europe and held considerable property in the region.
In the 16th century, the name appears in the records of the College of Arms, which oversaw heraldry and genealogy in England. A coat of arms was granted to the Spurlin family of Warwickshire, indicating their status and prominence at the time.
Another notable figure was Sir Thomas Spurlin, a military officer who served in the English Civil War during the 17th century. He fought for the Parliamentarian forces and was involved in several significant battles, including the Battle of Naseby in 1645.
During the 18th century, the name Spurlin appeared in various parish records and census listings across various counties in England, including Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, and Worcestershire. This suggests that the name had spread to different regions by that time.
In the 19th century, the Spurlin surname can be found in the records of various institutions and organizations, such as universities and professional societies. For example, William Spurlin was a prominent lawyer and author who wrote extensively on legal matters and was admitted to the Inner Temple in London in 1832.
Throughout its history, the surname Spurlin has been associated with various occupations and professions, including agriculture, trade, military service, and law. While the name has retained its English roots, it has also spread to other parts of the world through migration and settlement.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Spurlin
Among Census respondents with the surname Spurlin, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.9%. The next largest groups are Black (7.5%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Spurlin 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 Spurlin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.9% · 2,220
- Black or African American7.5% · 197
- Two or more races3.5% · 92
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 90
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Spurlin
Spurlin 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
#10,088
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,195
+246 bearers (+8.3%)
Per 100,000 1.08
Rank movement Down 10 places
2020
#11,506
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,616
-579 bearers (-18.1%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Down 1,418 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,078 | 2,949 | 1.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,088 | 3,195 | 1.08 | +246 bearers (+8.3%) | Down 10 places |
| 2020 | #11,506 | 2,616 | 0.88 | -579 bearers (-18.1%) | Down 1,418 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 Spurlin 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 | #10,088 | #11,506 | -14.1% |
| Count | 3,195 | 2,616 | -18.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.08 | 0.88 | -19.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Spurlin bearers went from 3,195 to 2,616 (-18.1% change). The surname moved down 1,418 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,088 to #11,506.
FAQ
Spurlin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Spurlin?
Name Census estimates that about 3,000 living Americans carry the surname Spurlin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 114,251 residents.
How common is Spurlin?
Spurlin ranks #11,506 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.88 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 2,616 people with the surname Spurlin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,000), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.88 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.88 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 Spurlin.
Has Spurlin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Spurlin went from 3,195 recorded bearers to 2,616. That is a decrease of 579 (-18.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,088 to #11,506.
What does the Census say about the background of Spurlin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Spurlin, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.9%. The next largest groups are Black (7.5%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Spurlin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.9% (2,220 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Spurlin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.9%), Black (7.5%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Spurlin (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 Spurlin mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of spurs, derived from Old English "spura". 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 Spurlin (0.88 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 Spurlin?
Find out how common the surname Spurlin is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.