Spencer
An English surname for a household officer who dispensed provisions, from Old French despensier. The Spencer family of English nobility kept it prominent.
Spencer in 2025
Spencer was given to 1,153 babies in the United States in 2025 — 908 boys and 245 girls, making it the 574th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 2,875 babies born.
The history of Spencer
Spencer reached its highest point in 1998, when 4,780 babies were given the name, ranking 150th that year.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 129,638 babies have been named Spencer. Half of them were born before 1996, which places the name's centre of gravity with Millennials.
Spencer by decade
| Decade | Babies named Spencer | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 313 | 541 |
| 1890s | 309 | 727 |
| 1900s | 396 | 742 |
| 1910s | 1,373 | 819 |
| 1920s | 1,872 | 828 |
| 1930s | 1,792 | 756 |
| 1940s | 3,036 | 707 |
| 1950s | 3,165 | 765 |
| 1960s | 4,433 | 618 |
| 1970s | 6,956 | 536 |
| 1980s | 15,528 | 204 |
| 1990s | 39,491 | 150 |
| 2000s | 28,066 | 170 |
| 2010s | 15,750 | 402 |
| 2020s | 7,158 | 509 |
Where Spencer is heading
Spencer has fallen 31% over the past decade, from 1,672 babies in 2015 to 1,153 in 2025.
Names like Spencer
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Spencer.