Spencer
An occupational surname for a dispenser of provisions in a great house.
Popularity, 1880–2025
Spencer appears in the national records from the very first year, 1880. It has ranked among the top 100 names for American boys in 6 different years between 1992 and 2000. Its biggest year was 1998, when 4,619 newborn boys received the name, ranking it No. 84 nationally. In 2025 it ranked No. 360 for boys. All told, 129,638 Americans have been given the name since 1880.
Related names
Other spellings on record: Spenser (3,363) (total births since 1880)
Explore Spencer interactively →By the decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 313 | No. 247 |
| 1890s | 309 | No. 276 |
| 1900s | 396 | No. 274 |
| 1910s | 1,373 | No. 323 |
| 1920s | 1,866 | No. 391 |
| 1930s | 1,786 | No. 345 |
| 1940s | 3,036 | No. 327 |
| 1950s | 3,154 | No. 344 |
| 1960s | 4,416 | No. 280 |
| 1970s | 6,897 | No. 250 |
| 1980s | 15,183 | No. 107 |
| 1990s | 38,182 | No. 84 |
| 2000s | 27,452 | No. 98 |
| 2010s | 13,826 | No. 226 |
| 2020s | 5,742 | No. 315 |
Births and rank shown for boys, the sex more often given the name. The Social Security Administration omits name–year combinations with fewer than five births.
🍼 Enjoying this? Buy my baby a diaper
Data: U.S. Social Security Administration national baby-name file, 1880–2025.