Spencer
Spencer is a unisex name: 245 girls and 908 boys were given it in 2025 (#1,025 among girls’ names and #360 among boys’, #574 among all names counting both); 129,638 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 117,000 Americans named Spencer and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (90% of everyone recorded); the median is 28 years old and half are between 20 and 36.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Spencer by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Spencer mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Spencer is “a male given name transferred from the surname, of general 19th century and later usage.” Its etymology gives the senses “spencer” (spenser) and “spence” (spense).
Also “a female given name transferred from the surname, of modern usage.”
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.
/ˈspɛnsɚ/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Spencer?
#360 among boys’ names, 2025
Spencer fell from #252 in 2015 to #360 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born fell from 0.75 to 0.53 per 1,000.
4,780 babies in 1998, the peak
Spencer peaked in 1998, when 4,780 babies were given it (4,619 boys, #84 among boys’ names). The 1,153 births of 2025 (girls and boys) are 24% of that peak.
Births by sex.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 908 | #360 | 0.53 |
| 2024 | 845 | #384 | 0.49 |
| 2023 | 903 | #362 | 0.53 |
| 2022 | 990 | #338 | 0.57 |
| 2021 | 1,050 | #315 | 0.60 |
| 2020 | 1,046 | #317 | 0.61 |
| 2019 | 1,038 | #321 | 0.58 |
| 2018 | 1,117 | #307 | 0.62 |
| 2017 | 1,212 | #292 | 0.65 |
| 2016 | 1,371 | #267 | 0.72 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 1,433 | #252 | 0.75 |
| 2014 | 1,520 | #248 | 0.79 |
| 2013 | 1,459 | #248 | 0.77 |
| 2012 | 1,536 | #234 | 0.81 |
| 2011 | 1,585 | #226 | 0.83 |
| 2010 | 1,555 | #227 | 0.81 |
| 2009 | 1,696 | #217 | 0.86 |
| 2008 | 2,092 | #191 | 1.0 |
| 2007 | 2,365 | #173 | 1.1 |
| 2006 | 2,186 | #184 | 1.1 |
| 2005 | 2,317 | #177 | 1.2 |
| 2004 | 2,664 | #151 | 1.3 |
| 2003 | 2,908 | #139 | 1.5 |
| 2002 | 3,448 | #110 | 1.8 |
| 2001 | 3,732 | #103 | 1.9 |
| 2000 | 4,044 | #98 | 2.1 |
| 1999 | 4,194 | #92 | 2.2 |
| 1998 | 4,619 | #84 | 2.4 |
| 1997 | 3,766 | #104 | 2.0 |
| 1996 | 3,609 | #109 | 1.9 |
| 1995 | 3,618 | #104 | 1.9 |
| 1994 | 3,813 | #98 | 2.0 |
| 1993 | 3,884 | #96 | 2.0 |
| 1992 | 3,696 | #99 | 1.9 |
| 1991 | 3,564 | #105 | 1.8 |
| 1990 | 3,419 | #105 | 1.7 |
| 1989 | 3,126 | #107 | 1.6 |
| 1988 | 2,695 | #114 | 1.4 |
| 1987 | 2,251 | #124 | 1.2 |
| 1986 | 1,644 | #164 | 0.89 |
| 1985 | 1,114 | #216 | 0.60 |
| 1984 | 935 | #238 | 0.52 |
| 1983 | 943 | #238 | 0.53 |
| 1982 | 927 | #248 | 0.51 |
| 1981 | 827 | #260 | 0.46 |
| 1980 | 721 | #287 | 0.40 |
| 1979 | 847 | #251 | 0.49 |
| 1978 | 736 | #269 | 0.45 |
| 1977 | 731 | #269 | 0.44 |
| 1976 | 771 | #256 | 0.49 |
| 1975 | 696 | #276 | 0.45 |
| 1974 | 564 | #321 | 0.36 |
| 1973 | 592 | #300 | 0.38 |
| 1972 | 621 | #299 | 0.38 |
| 1971 | 622 | #309 | 0.35 |
| 1970 | 717 | #291 | 0.39 |
| 1969 | 708 | #280 | 0.40 |
| 1968 | 541 | #328 | 0.31 |
| 1967 | 375 | #391 | 0.22 |
| 1966 | 366 | #393 | 0.21 |
| 1965 | 456 | #358 | 0.25 |
| 1964 | 425 | #385 | 0.21 |
| 1963 | 410 | #397 | 0.20 |
| 1962 | 380 | #412 | 0.18 |
| 1961 | 397 | #399 | 0.19 |
| 1960 | 358 | #422 | 0.17 |
| 1959 | 319 | #448 | 0.15 |
| 1958 | 284 | #467 | 0.13 |
| 1957 | 275 | #464 | 0.13 |
| 1956 | 308 | #431 | 0.15 |
| 1955 | 325 | #405 | 0.16 |
| 1954 | 291 | #422 | 0.14 |
| 1953 | 295 | #405 | 0.15 |
| 1952 | 340 | #367 | 0.17 |
| 1951 | 395 | #343 | 0.21 |
| 1950 | 322 | #377 | 0.18 |
| 1949 | 319 | #376 | 0.18 |
| 1948 | 313 | #386 | 0.18 |
| 1947 | 337 | #373 | 0.18 |
| 1946 | 303 | #374 | 0.19 |
| 1945 | 266 | #365 | 0.20 |
| 1944 | 282 | #356 | 0.21 |
| 1943 | 351 | #327 | 0.25 |
| 1942 | 312 | #344 | 0.23 |
| 1941 | 291 | #338 | 0.24 |
| 1940 | 262 | #351 | 0.23 |
| 1939 | 259 | #346 | 0.23 |
| 1938 | 206 | #397 | 0.19 |
| 1937 | 180 | #423 | 0.17 |
| 1936 | 193 | #394 | 0.19 |
| 1935 | 163 | #447 | 0.16 |
| 1934 | 185 | #412 | 0.18 |
| 1933 | 155 | #446 | 0.16 |
| 1932 | 151 | #469 | 0.14 |
| 1931 | 141 | #483 | 0.14 |
| 1930 | 153 | #483 | 0.14 |
| 1929 | 157 | #469 | 0.15 |
| 1928 | 168 | #472 | 0.15 |
| 1927 | 180 | #457 | 0.16 |
| 1926 | 176 | #454 | 0.16 |
| 1925 | 177 | #454 | 0.16 |
| 1924 | 188 | #446 | 0.17 |
| 1923 | 199 | #431 | 0.18 |
| 1922 | 197 | #430 | 0.18 |
| 1921 | 195 | #440 | 0.18 |
| 1920 | 229 | #393 | 0.22 |
| 1919 | 160 | #473 | 0.16 |
| 1918 | 210 | #408 | 0.21 |
| 1917 | 204 | #397 | 0.22 |
| 1916 | 169 | #434 | 0.19 |
| 1915 | 153 | #440 | 0.18 |
| 1914 | 124 | #433 | 0.19 |
| 1913 | 124 | #379 | 0.24 |
| 1912 | 105 | #378 | 0.24 |
| 1911 | 70 | #327 | 0.31 |
| 1910 | 54 | #344 | 0.28 |
| 1909 | 49 | #333 | 0.30 |
| 1908 | 61 | #277 | 0.40 |
| 1907 | 41 | #339 | 0.28 |
| 1906 | 29 | #409 | 0.22 |
| 1905 | 38 | #328 | 0.29 |
| 1904 | 44 | #293 | 0.34 |
| 1903 | 28 | #368 | 0.23 |
| 1902 | 32 | #352 | 0.26 |
| 1901 | 30 | #333 | 0.28 |
| 1900 | 44 | #324 | 0.29 |
| 1899 | 39 | #280 | 0.37 |
| 1898 | 40 | #297 | 0.33 |
| 1897 | 23 | #402 | 0.20 |
| 1896 | 28 | #366 | 0.23 |
| 1895 | 35 | #307 | 0.30 |
| 1894 | 27 | #357 | 0.23 |
| 1893 | 21 | #399 | 0.19 |
| 1892 | 33 | #328 | 0.27 |
| 1891 | 33 | #289 | 0.33 |
| 1890 | 30 | #321 | 0.27 |
| 1889 | 28 | #336 | 0.25 |
| 1888 | 38 | #288 | 0.31 |
| 1887 | 41 | #249 | 0.40 |
| 1886 | 29 | #318 | 0.26 |
| 1885 | 23 | #376 | 0.21 |
| 1884 | 32 | #313 | 0.28 |
| 1883 | 28 | #316 | 0.27 |
| 1882 | 33 | #306 | 0.29 |
| 1881 | 26 | #323 | 0.26 |
| 1880 | 35 | #282 | 0.32 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Spencer a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Of the 129,638 Americans recorded as Spencer, 4% are girls and 96% boys.
Years with fewer than 20 babies given the name are left blank.
Girls and boys named Spencer: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Spencer, and how old are they?
117,000 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 90% of the 129,638 Americans ever recorded as Spencer. The median Spencer alive today is 28 years old; half are between 20 and 36.
The 2020 Census counted 106,323 people named Spencer (3,933 women and girls, 102,390 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 112,221 born in the U.S. The Census count is 5% below that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 892 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 4,280 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 9,020 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 39,500 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 45,200 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 17,800 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Spencer born?
The states with the most babies named Spencer are Texas, New York and California, with 21% of its births recorded by state in 2025.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 95 | #512 | 0.6× |
| New York | 71 | #321 | 0.7× |
| California | 56 | #655 | 0.8× |
| Michigan | 50 | #251 | 1.1× |
| Missouri | 48 | #188 | 1.1× |
| Florida | 47 | #476 | 0.8× |
| Pennsylvania | 47 | #317 | 0.7× |
| Ohio | 44 | #319 | 1.0× |
| Tennessee | 42 | #267 | 1.1× |
| North Carolina | 40 | #362 | 1.1× |
Where Spencer is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Spencer is most over-represented in Utah: since 1910 it was given 3.6 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among boys’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Spencer with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 2 names spelled alike, given to 133,001 babies since 1880, Spencer is the most given (97% of them). In 2025 it was given to 1,153 of their 1,159 babies (99%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Spencer
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Spencer and names like it
- Compare Spencer and SpenserBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1990sSpencer peaked in 1998.
- California’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Spencer since 1910.
- From surnamesWiktionary’s origin for Spencer: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 1998The year the most babies were named Spencer.
- The names of Generation ZMost people named Spencer alive today were born 1997-2012.
- Names starting with SMost given first.