2000
#2,825
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,627
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.31
Uncommon Last name
Spurlock
An English occupational surname derived from the Old English "spur," referring to someone who made spurs for horseback riding.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,197 Americans carry the last name Spurlock. That puts it at #3,050 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 25,972 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Spurlock 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
13K
1 in 25,972
Census rank
#3,050
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,508 bearers of the surname Spurlock in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3050th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Spurlock, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.6%. The next largest groups are Black (12.8%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Spurlock
Among Census respondents with the surname Spurlock, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.6%. The next largest groups are Black (12.8%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Spurlock 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 Spurlock surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.6% · 9,051
- Black or African American12.8% · 1,478
- Two or more races4.5% · 522
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 335
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 64
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 58
Timeline
Historical Census data for Spurlock
Spurlock 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
#2,957
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,141
+514 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 4.12
Rank movement Down 132 places
2020
#3,050
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,508
-633 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 3.85
Rank movement Down 93 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,825 | 11,627 | 4.31 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,957 | 12,141 | 4.12 | +514 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 132 places |
| 2020 | #3,050 | 11,508 | 3.85 | -633 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 93 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 Spurlock 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 | #2,957 | #3,050 | -3.1% |
| Count | 12,141 | 11,508 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 4.12 | 3.85 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Spurlock bearers went from 12,141 to 11,508 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 93 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,957 to #3,050.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Spurlock
FAQ
Spurlock surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Spurlock?
Name Census estimates that about 13,197 living Americans carry the surname Spurlock. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 25,972 residents.
How common is Spurlock?
Spurlock ranks #3,050 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.85 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,508 people with the surname Spurlock. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,197), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.85 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Spurlock.
Has Spurlock become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Spurlock went from 12,141 recorded bearers to 11,508. That is a decrease of 633 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,957 to #3,050.
What does the Census say about the background of Spurlock?
Among Census respondents with the surname Spurlock, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.6%. The next largest groups are Black (12.8%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Spurlock in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.6% (9,051 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Spurlock appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.6%), Black (12.8%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Spurlock (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 Spurlock mean?
An English occupational surname derived from the Old English "spur," referring to someone who made spurs for horseback riding. 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 Spurlock (3.85 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 Spurlock?
See how many Americans have the surname Spurlock on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.