2000
#140,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Spyke
A surname potentially derived from a nickname for someone with spiky hair.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Spyke. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Spyke 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Spyke in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Spyke, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.6%. The next largest groups are Black (28.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Spyke
The surname Spyke has its origins in medieval England, tracing back to the 12th century. It is believed to have emerged in the northern counties of Yorkshire and Lancashire, where it was initially spelled as "Spik" or "Spyke". The name is derived from the Old English word "spic," meaning a spike or pointed object, which may have been used as a nickname for someone with a pointed beard or a tall, slender physique.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1175, which mention a "William Spic" as a landowner. The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any entries of the name, suggesting that it emerged after the Norman Conquest.
In the 13th century, the surname appears in various records, such as the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which list a "John Spyke" from Cambridgeshire. The Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1332 also mention a "William Spyke" residing in Warwickshire.
As the name spread across England, it adopted various spellings, including "Spike," "Spyke," and "Speik." One notable individual bearing this surname was Robert Spyke, a prominent merchant from London who lived in the late 15th century and was involved in the wool trade with the Low Countries.
During the Tudor period, the surname Spyke gained prominence with the birth of John Spyke (1512-1594), a renowned English clergyman and scholar who served as the Archdeacon of Shropshire and authored several theological works.
Another significant figure was Sir Robert Spyke (1594-1669), a Member of Parliament and landowner from Wiltshire, who played a role in the English Civil War by supporting the Parliamentarian cause against King Charles I.
In the 18th century, the name Spyke was associated with Mary Spyke (1718-1796), a British philanthropist and activist who campaigned for the rights of prisoners and advocated for prison reform.
The 19th century saw the birth of Sir John Spyke (1835-1912), a distinguished British architect who designed several notable buildings, including the Royal Albert Hall in London.
While the surname Spyke has experienced variations in spelling and pronunciation over the centuries, it has remained a part of the English surname landscape, reflecting the rich tapestry of historical events and cultural influences that have shaped the country's heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Spyke
Among Census respondents with the surname Spyke, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.6%. The next largest groups are Black (28.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Spyke 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 Spyke surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.6% · 81
- Black or African American28.0% · 33
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 1
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Spyke
Spyke 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
#134,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
+16 bearers (+14.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,044 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-7 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,799 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #140,756 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #134,712 | 125 | 0.04 | +16 bearers (+14.7%) | Up 6,044 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 8,799 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 Spyke 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 | #134,712 | #143,511 | -6.5% |
| Count | 125 | 118 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Spyke bearers went from 125 to 118 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 8,799 positions in the national ranking, going from #134,712 to #143,511.
FAQ
Spyke surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Spyke?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Spyke. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Spyke?
Spyke ranks #143,511 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 118 people with the surname Spyke. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Spyke.
Has Spyke become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Spyke went from 125 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 7 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #134,712 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Spyke?
Among Census respondents with the surname Spyke, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.6%. The next largest groups are Black (28.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%). 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 Spyke in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.6% (81 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Spyke appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (68.6%), Black (28.0%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%). 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 Spyke (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 Spyke mean?
A surname potentially derived from a nickname for someone with spiky hair. 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 Spyke (0.04 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 Spyke?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.