How common is the surname Spencer?

139,951 people in the United States had the surname Spencer in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 2,206 Americans. It ranked 199th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Spencer?

Octavia Spencer, American actress, followed by Jesse Spencer.

Where is the surname Spencer most common?

Wikidata records people named Spencer in the United States, Australia and the Kingdom of Great Britain and 2 other countries.

How do you pronounce Spencer?

Spencer is /ˈspɛnsɚ/, 2 syllables.

Is the surname Spencer getting more or less common?

More common. 134,443 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 139,951 in 2010, up 4.1%.

Is Spencer also a first name?

Yes. Spencer is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Spencer

An English occupational surname, carried by 139,951 people in the United States.

Pronounced /ˈspɛnsɚ/ 2 syllables Soundex S152 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Spencer is more common than 99.9% of them.

Origin

English origin

An occupational surname from Middle English Spenser, Spencer, Spensier, from the common noun spenser (“spencer”), denoting someone who works in a spense (“spence”), or as a butler or steward.

Spencer is an occupational surname: named after the work an ancestor did.

One of 1,446 English surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 139,951 people named Spencer in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 2,206 Americans. That is up 4.1% since 2000, when the Census counted 134,443.

#199

rank among US surnames

139,951

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

+4.1%

change since 2000 (was #189)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#190	Stephens	144,646	2,134
#191	Soto	144,451	2,137
#192	Weaver	143,837	2,146
#193	Ryan	143,452	2,152
#194	Gardner	142,894	2,161
#195	Payne	142,601	2,165
#196	Grant	142,277	2,170

Who is named Spencer

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

69% of people named Spencer identified as white (not Hispanic), 23% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.7% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 69%
Black (not Hispanic) 23%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.7%
Two or more races 2.5%
American Indian and Alaska Native 1.5%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.8%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Spencers

49 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Octavia Spencer
American actress, born 1970
Jesse Spencer
Australian actor and musician, born 1979
John Spencer
American actor (1946–2005)
Percy Spencer
American engineer and inventor (1894–1970)
Abigail Spencer
American actress, born 1981
Richard Spencer
American journalist and politician (b. 1978)
Chaske Spencer
American actor (born 1975)
Ashley Spencer
American sprinter, born 1993
Emerson Spencer
Athletics competitor (1906–1985)
Robert Bruce Spencer
American anti-Muslim author (1962-)
Charles Spencer, 3rd Duke of Marlborough
British Army general (1706-1758)
Freddie Spencer
American motorcycle racer, born 1961

Notable Spencers come mostly from the United States (41), Australia (3) and the Kingdom of Great Britain (3).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Variant spellings

Spenser

Surnames that sound like Spencer

Spencer has the Soundex code S152, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code S152.

Other English surnames

All 1,446 English surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Spencer come from?: An occupational surname from Middle English Spenser, Spencer, Spensier, from the common noun spenser (“spencer”), denoting someone who works in a spense (“spence”), or as a butler or steward.
How common is the surname Spencer?: 139,951 people in the United States had the surname Spencer in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 2,206 Americans. It ranked 199th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Spencer?: In the 2010 Census, 69% of people named Spencer identified as white (not Hispanic), and 23% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Spencer?: Octavia Spencer, American actress, followed by Jesse Spencer.
Where is the surname Spencer most common?: Wikidata records people named Spencer in the United States, Australia and the Kingdom of Great Britain and 2 other countries.
How do you pronounce Spencer?: Spencer is /ˈspɛnsɚ/, 2 syllables.
What type of surname is Spencer?: Spencer is an occupational surname, named after the work an ancestor did.
Is the surname Spencer getting more or less common?: More common. 134,443 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 139,951 in 2010, up 4.1%.
What are other spellings of Spencer?: Spenser.
Is Spencer also a first name?: Yes. Spencer is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.