NameCensus.

UK surname

Spier

A surname derived from the Middle English word "spier" meaning a spy or scout.

In the 1881 census there were 197 people recorded with the Spier surname, ranking it #12,955 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 83, ranked #32,815, down from #12,955 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Binsted, London parishes and Cheltenham. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Wandsworth, Teignbridge and West Devon.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Spier is 239 in 1851. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 57.9%.

1881 census count

197

Ranked #12,955

Modern count

83

2016, ranked #32,815

Peak year

1851

239 bearers

Map years

7

1851 to 1998

Key insights

  • Spier had 197 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #12,955 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 83 in 2016, ranked #32,815.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 239 in 1851.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Outer Suburbs.

Spier surname distribution map

The map shows where the Spier surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Spier surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Spier over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 239 #9,092
1861 historical 181 #12,997
1881 historical 197 #12,955
1891 historical 221 #13,897
1901 historical 223 #14,134
1911 historical 190 #15,438
1997 modern 114 #24,967
1998 modern 123 #24,449
1999 modern 124 #24,508
2000 modern 116 #25,452
2001 modern 106 #26,468
2002 modern 104 #27,303
2003 modern 101 #27,561
2004 modern 107 #26,899
2005 modern 97 #28,485
2006 modern 92 #29,576
2007 modern 93 #29,777
2008 modern 88 #30,857
2009 modern 90 #31,094
2010 modern 93 #31,239
2011 modern 98 #30,384
2012 modern 90 #31,790
2013 modern 88 #32,349
2014 modern 88 #32,495
2015 modern 88 #32,421
2016 modern 83 #32,815

Geography

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Where Spiers are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Binsted, London parishes, Cheltenham, St Mary Islington and St Giles Camberwell. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Wandsworth, Teignbridge, West Devon, Bromsgrove and Bromley. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Binsted Hampshire
2 London parishes London 3
3 Cheltenham Gloucestershire
4 St Mary Islington London (North Districts)
5 St Giles Camberwell London (South Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Wandsworth 006 Wandsworth
2 Teignbridge 002 Teignbridge
3 West Devon 002 West Devon
4 Bromsgrove 010 Bromsgrove
5 Bromley 024 Bromley

Forenames

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First names often paired with Spier

These lists show first names that appear often with the Spier surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Spier

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Spier, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Ethnically Diverse Suburban Professionals

Group

Outer Suburbs

Nationally, the Spier surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Outer Suburbs, within Ethnically Diverse Suburban Professionals. This does not mean every Spier household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods are found on the outer edges of many towns and cities. Many residents were born outside the UK. Indian ethnic group representation is high. There are high numbers of families with dependent children aged 5 to 14. Incidences of disability and of provision of unpaid care are low. Neighbourhoods provide a mix of detached housing and flats, and terraced housing is not uncommon. Levels of overcrowding are low and homeownership rates are high. Professional and managerial occupations are prevalent: unemployment is low and education to degree level is the norm.

Wider pattern

Those working within the managerial, professional and administrative occupations typically reflect a wide range of ethnic groups, and reside in detached or semi-detached housing. Their residential locations at the edges of cities and conurbations and car-based lifestyles are more characteristic of Supergroup membership than birthplace or participation in child-rearing. Houses are typically owner-occupied and marriage rates are lower than the national average. This Supergroup is found throughout suburban UK.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

European Enclaves

Within London, Spier is most associated with areas classed as European Enclaves, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many residents of these accessible neighbourhoods have wide-ranging non-UK European origins. Typically residing in privately rented flats, many residents live alone and are beyond normal retirement age. There are more students than elsewhere in the Supergroup, some of which live in communal establishments. Household residents are often drawn from different ethnic groups.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Spier is most concentrated in decile 9 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Spier falls in decile 9 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Spier is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Spier, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Spier

The surname Spier originated in the Netherlands and is derived from the Dutch word "spier," meaning muscle or sinew. It was an occupational name given to those who made bows or crossbows, which required strong, muscular arms to pull the strings.

The name can be traced back to the 13th century in records from the provinces of North Holland and South Holland. Early variations of the spelling included Spyer, Spyre, and Spyere. The name is also found in some of the earliest Dutch census records from the 1600s.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Spier appears in a 1382 document from the city of Leiden, which mentions a Willem Spier who was a bowyer by trade. Another early reference is found in a 1475 manuscript from Amsterdam, which lists a Pieter Spier among the city's craftsmen.

In the 16th century, the Spier name is associated with the Dutch Protestant Reformation. Jan Spier (1505-1567) was a Mennonite leader from Emden who helped establish several Anabaptist communities in the Netherlands.

Notable individuals with the Spier surname include Hendrik Spier (1628-1701), a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his still life works. Cornelius Spier (1790-1845) was a prominent Dutch architect who designed several notable buildings in The Hague and Rotterdam.

In the 19th century, Johannes Spier (1837-1915) was a Dutch theologian and scholar who translated the Bible into modern Dutch. Pieter Spier (1919-2003) was a renowned Dutch children's book illustrator and author who won numerous awards for his work.

Outside of the Netherlands, the Spier name can also be found in German-speaking regions, where it is believed to have been adopted by Dutch immigrants or derived from a similar occupational term.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Spier families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Spier surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Hampshire leads with 37 Spiers recorded in 1881 and an index of 9.49x.

County Total Index
Hampshire 37 9.49x
Middlesex 30 1.58x
Surrey 20 2.16x
Ayrshire 15 10.54x
Devon 15 3.79x
Gloucestershire 12 3.22x
Kent 9 1.39x
Warwickshire 9 1.88x
Sussex 8 2.49x
Lancashire 6 0.27x
Staffordshire 6 0.93x
Renfrewshire 5 3.39x
Worcestershire 5 2.01x
Berkshire 4 2.80x
Argyllshire 3 5.67x
Wiltshire 3 1.78x
Cornwall 2 0.93x
Berwickshire 1 4.34x
Hertfordshire 1 0.76x
Lanarkshire 1 0.16x
Midlothian 1 0.39x
Perthshire 1 1.17x
Yorkshire 1 0.05x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Binsted in Hampshire leads with 21 Spiers recorded in 1881 and an index of 1409.40x.

Place Total Index
Binsted 21 1409.40x
Cheltenham 12 41.70x
Dalry 9 134.33x
Aston 8 6.06x
Islington London 8 4.34x
Camberwell 7 5.76x
St Marylebone London 7 6.89x
Froyle 6 1200.00x
Tottenham 6 19.81x
Walsall Borough 6 120.48x
Ayr 5 74.40x
Claines 5 73.31x
Lochwinnoch 5 227.27x
Lodsworth 5 1136.36x
Rotherhithe 5 21.28x
West Alvington 5 892.86x
Abingdon St Helen 4 95.92x
Buckland In Dover 4 186.05x
Cliddesden 4 1818.18x
Exeter St Sidwell 4 44.10x
Paddington London 4 5.72x
Dunoon Kilmun 3 72.64x
Kingston 3 967.74x
Newington 3 4.27x
Plymouth St Andrew 3 9.84x
Toxteth Park 3 3.93x
Alton 2 68.03x
Cheriton 2 75.47x
Farnborough 2 48.90x
Fulham London 2 7.25x
North Meols 2 9.05x
Redruth 2 32.84x
Sherston Magna 2 198.02x
Woking 2 35.78x
Bentley 1 217.39x
Birdingbury 1 2000.00x
Croydon 1 1.94x
Deptford St Paul 1 2.00x
Ecclesall Bierlow 1 2.61x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 1 0.98x
Eyemouth 1 52.08x
Fletching 1 69.44x
Great Bedwin 1 84.03x
Holdenhurst 1 9.78x
Hooe 1 322.58x
Kilwinning 1 21.74x
Liverpool 1 0.73x
Logie 1 32.68x
Maryhill 1 8.31x
Newhaven 1 38.31x
Ramsgate 1 9.44x
St Andrew Holborn 1 15.50x
St George Bloomsbury 1 9.17x
St Pancras London 1 0.65x
Walton On Thames 1 23.47x
Wandsworth 1 5.46x
Watford 1 9.84x
Whitstable 1 31.45x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Spier surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Spier surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
James 10
George 9
William 7
Charles 5
Henry 5
Arthur 4
John 4
Thomas 4
Alfred 3
Edward 3
Herbert 2
Stephen 2
Andrew 1
Anthony 1
Bernhard 1
Chas. 1
Daniel 1
Ephraim 1
Ephraime 1
Ernest 1
Haufmann 1
Jacob 1
Julius 1
Kaufmann 1
Lazarus 1
Leonard 1
Lionel 1
Marcus 1
Max 1
Montague 1
Peter 1
Samuel 1
Sydney 1

FAQ

Spier surname: questions and answers

How common was the Spier surname in 1881?

In 1881, 197 people were recorded with the Spier surname. That placed it at #12,955 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Spier surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 83 in 2016. That gives Spier a modern rank of #32,815.

What does the Spier surname mean?

A surname derived from the Middle English word "spier" meaning a spy or scout.

What does the Spier map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Spier bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.