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

Spurlock, 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 Spurlock surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Spurlock in America

Spurlock is the 2957th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Spurlock surname appeared 12,141 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Spurlock.

We can also compare 2010 data for Spurlock 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.

The history of the last name Spurlock

The surname SPURLOCK has its origins in England, dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English words "spur" and "loc," which together mean "a spur or small hill." This suggests that the name likely referred to someone who lived near a prominent hill or raised land formation.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1197, where it appears as "Spurloc." This indicates that the name was already in use by the late 12th century and had likely been around for some time before that.

During the Middle Ages, the SPURLOCK name was primarily concentrated in the counties of Gloucestershire, Worcestershire, and Warwickshire in the West Midlands region of England. However, there are also records of the name appearing in other parts of the country, such as Norfolk and Sussex.

In the 13th century, a Robert Spurloc is mentioned in the Curia Regis Rolls of Warwickshire, while a John Spurlok is recorded in the Hundred Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1275. These early records showcase the variations in spelling that were common during that time period.

One notable individual with the SPURLOCK surname was Sir John Spurlock (c. 1476 - 1544), a member of the English gentry and landowner in Worcestershire. He served as High Sheriff of Worcestershire in 1528.

Another prominent figure was Thomas Spurlock (c. 1550 - 1616), a wealthy merchant and alderman in the City of London. He was a member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers and served as Sheriff of London in 1604.

In the 17th century, the SPURLOCK name can be found in the records of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, indicating that some members of the family had emigrated to the American colonies. One such individual was William Spurlock (c. 1620 - 1685), who settled in Virginia and became a successful tobacco planter.

During the 18th century, the SPURLOCK family continued to be present in both England and the American colonies. Notable individuals from this period include Captain John Spurlock (1712 - 1778), a naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Seven Years' War, and Colonel James Spurlock (1745 - 1815), an American Revolutionary War soldier and early settler in Kentucky.

As the centuries progressed, the SPURLOCK surname remained well-established in various parts of England, particularly in the West Midlands region, as well as in the United States, where it had been carried by early settlers and continued to spread as the country expanded westward.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Spurlock

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

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 Spurlock was:

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!