2000
#91,004
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 188
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Sprewell
An English surname originating as a locational name for someone from a place called Sprewell.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 233 Americans carry the last name Sprewell. That puts it at #96,193 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,471,049 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sprewell 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
233
1 in 1,471,049
Census rank
#96,193
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
203
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 203 bearers of the surname Sprewell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 96193rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sprewell, the largest self-reported group is Black at 54.2%. The next largest groups are White (27.1%) and Hispanic (9.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sprewell
The surname Sprewell is believed to have originated in England, deriving from a geographic location or place name. It is thought to be a variant spelling of the place name "Sprowston," a village located near Norwich in the county of Norfolk. The name is likely derived from the Old English words "spror" meaning "sprout" or "shoot," and "tun" meaning "enclosure" or "settlement."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Sprewell can be found in the Norfolk Feet of Fines, a collection of legal documents from the 13th century. In 1275, a person named Ricardus de Sproweston was recorded as residing in the village of Sprowston.
The Sprewell surname also appears in the Hundred Rolls, a census-like record compiled in England in 1273. This document lists a certain William de Sproueston, providing evidence that the name had already begun to evolve into its modern spelling by the late 13th century.
In the 16th century, the Sprewell surname appears in various records from the parish of Cawston, located near the village of Sprowston in Norfolk. The parish records mention individuals such as Robert Sprewell, who was born in 1562, and John Sprewell, who was born in 1588.
One notable historical figure with the Sprewell surname was William Sprewell, a merchant and ship owner from Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. Born in 1620, he was involved in the transatlantic trade and owned several vessels that sailed between England and the American colonies.
Another individual of note was Thomas Sprewell, a clergyman who lived in the 17th century. Born in 1645 in Norfolk, he served as the vicar of St. Mary's Church in the village of Stalham, also located in Norfolk, from 1675 until his death in 1712.
In the 18th century, the Sprewell surname can be found in various records from the county of Suffolk, which borders Norfolk. One example is John Sprewell, a farmer from the village of Yoxford, who was born in 1732 and died in 1804.
While the Sprewell surname originated in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and immigration patterns. However, its roots can be traced back to the county of Norfolk and the geographic location of Sprowston, where the name likely originated as a place name before evolving into a surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sprewell
Among Census respondents with the surname Sprewell, the largest self-reported group is Black at 54.2%. The next largest groups are White (27.1%) and Hispanic (9.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Sprewell 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 Sprewell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American54.2% · 110
- White27.1% · 55
- Hispanic or Latino9.4% · 19
- Two or more races6.4% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.0% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sprewell
Sprewell 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
#89,753
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 206
+18 bearers (+9.6%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Up 1,251 places
2020
#96,193
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 203
-3 bearers (-1.5%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 6,440 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #91,004 | 188 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #89,753 | 206 | 0.07 | +18 bearers (+9.6%) | Up 1,251 places |
| 2020 | #96,193 | 203 | 0.07 | -3 bearers (-1.5%) | Down 6,440 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 Sprewell 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 | #89,753 | #96,193 | -7.2% |
| Count | 206 | 203 | -1.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.07 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sprewell bearers went from 206 to 203 (-1.5% change). The surname moved down 6,440 positions in the national ranking, going from #89,753 to #96,193.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Sprewell
FAQ
Sprewell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sprewell?
Name Census estimates that about 233 living Americans carry the surname Sprewell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,471,049 residents.
How common is Sprewell?
Sprewell ranks #96,193 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 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 203 people with the surname Sprewell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (233), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 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 Sprewell.
Has Sprewell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sprewell went from 206 recorded bearers to 203. That is a decrease of 3 (-1.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #89,753 to #96,193.
What does the Census say about the background of Sprewell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sprewell, the largest self-reported group is Black at 54.2%. The next largest groups are White (27.1%) and Hispanic (9.4%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Sprewell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 54.2% (110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sprewell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (54.2%), White (27.1%), Hispanic (9.4%). 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 Sprewell (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 Sprewell mean?
An English surname originating as a locational name for someone from a place called Sprewell. 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 Sprewell (0.07 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 Americans have the surname Sprewell?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.