NameCensus.

UK surname

Spruce

An English surname likely derived from the spruce tree.

In the 1881 census there were 609 people recorded with the Spruce surname, ranking it #5,757 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,278, ranked #4,681, up from #5,757 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Wolverhampton, Wellington, Wrockwardine, Eyton-on-the-Moors, Preston-on-the-Moors and Liverpool. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Cheshire West and Chester, Sandwell and Walsall.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Spruce is 1,334 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 109.9%.

1881 census count

609

Ranked #5,757

Modern count

1,278

2016, ranked #4,681

Peak year

2010

1,334 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Spruce had 609 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #5,757 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,278 in 2016, ranked #4,681.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 990 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Spruce surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Spruce surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Spruce 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 398 #6,057
1861 historical 423 #6,073
1881 historical 609 #5,757
1891 historical 612 #6,284
1901 historical 840 #5,417
1911 historical 990 #4,576
1997 modern 1,227 #4,625
1998 modern 1,313 #4,527
1999 modern 1,309 #4,573
2000 modern 1,330 #4,480
2001 modern 1,284 #4,534
2002 modern 1,327 #4,489
2003 modern 1,305 #4,472
2004 modern 1,296 #4,497
2005 modern 1,280 #4,494
2006 modern 1,277 #4,512
2007 modern 1,289 #4,521
2008 modern 1,282 #4,565
2009 modern 1,329 #4,522
2010 modern 1,334 #4,589
2011 modern 1,306 #4,621
2012 modern 1,266 #4,681
2013 modern 1,297 #4,664
2014 modern 1,300 #4,676
2015 modern 1,285 #4,676
2016 modern 1,278 #4,681

Geography

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Where Spruces are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Wolverhampton, Wellington, Wrockwardine, Eyton-on-the-Moors, Preston-on-the-Moors, Liverpool, Frodsham and Warrington. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Cheshire West and Chester, Sandwell, Walsall, Calderdale and Halton. 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 Wolverhampton Staffordshire
2 Wellington, Wrockwardine, Eyton-on-the-Moors, Preston-on-the-Moors Shropshire
3 Liverpool Lancashire
4 Frodsham Cheshire
5 Warrington Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Cheshire West and Chester 015 Cheshire West and Chester
2 Sandwell 001 Sandwell
3 Walsall 033 Walsall
4 Calderdale 006 Calderdale
5 Halton 013 Halton

Forenames

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First names often paired with Spruce

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Spruce

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Spruce, 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

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Spruce surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Spruce household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Spruce is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. 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

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Spruce is most concentrated in decile 4 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

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

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Spruce falls in decile 2 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

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

2
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Spruce 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 Spruce, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Spruce

The surname SPRUCE is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "spryss" or "spruce," referring to the evergreen tree. This name likely originated as a occupational surname or a toponymic surname, indicating that the bearer lived near a spruce tree or worked with spruce wood.

The earliest recorded instance of this surname dates back to the late 12th century in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire, where a Richard Spruce was mentioned in 1196. Other early examples include William le Spruce recorded in the Assize Rolls of Cambridgeshire in 1260 and Roger Spruce listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1327.

One notable individual with this surname was Sir John Spruce, a prominent merchant and alderman in the City of London during the 16th century. Born around 1520, he served as Lord Mayor of London in 1574 and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth I.

Another historical figure was Thomas Spruce (c. 1570-1622), an English clergyman and academic who served as the President of St. John's College, Oxford, from 1612 until his death.

In the 17th century, Richard Spruce (1617-1693) was a notable English botanist and explorer. He conducted extensive research on the flora of South America and is credited with introducing several plant species to Europe.

During the 18th century, John Spruce (1736-1795) was a prominent English architect who designed numerous buildings in London, including the Euston Square Estate and parts of Belgravia.

The surname also has a connection to the town of Spruce Hill in Pennsylvania, which was named after an early settler, John Spruce, who established a farm in the area in the late 17th century.

Throughout history, the SPRUCE surname has been recorded with various spellings, including Spruce, Sprusse, Spruece, and Sprousse, reflecting regional variations and spelling conventions of different eras.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Spruce families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Spruce 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. Cheshire leads with 171 Spruces recorded in 1881 and an index of 13.15x.

County Total Index
Cheshire 171 13.15x
Staffordshire 117 5.88x
Lancashire 101 1.44x
Norfolk 56 6.18x
Yorkshire 48 0.82x
Warwickshire 21 1.41x
Middlesex 18 0.31x
Shropshire 16 3.14x
Derbyshire 9 0.98x
Essex 8 0.69x
Surrey 8 0.28x
Wiltshire 7 1.34x
Cumberland 4 0.79x
Worcestershire 4 0.52x
Angus 3 0.55x
Cambridgeshire 3 0.80x
Kent 2 0.10x
Sussex 2 0.20x
Berkshire 1 0.23x
Gloucestershire 1 0.09x
Hertfordshire 1 0.25x
Midlothian 1 0.13x
Montgomeryshire 1 0.74x
Northamptonshire 1 0.18x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Wolverhampton in Staffordshire leads with 45 Spruces recorded in 1881 and an index of 29.43x.

Place Total Index
Wolverhampton 45 29.43x
Warrington 26 31.37x
Bolehall Glascote 21 333.86x
Kingsley 18 743.80x
Bilston 15 38.92x
Knutsford Nether 15 190.84x
Stillington 14 1157.02x
Widnes 14 27.76x
Liverpool 13 3.06x
Wellington 12 41.94x
Witton Cum Twambrooks 12 103.63x
Kingswinford 11 15.23x
Darlaston 10 36.39x
Dersingham 10 487.80x
Halifax 10 11.67x
Frodsham Lordship 9 409.09x
Hulme 9 6.17x
Runcorn 8 26.68x
Staveley 8 48.87x
Thorpe Next Norwich 8 83.33x
Tranmere 8 16.74x
Walsall Foreign 8 7.79x
West Ham 8 3.12x
Ashton Under Lyne 7 4.58x
Cannock 7 20.17x
Frodsham 7 138.89x
Latchford 7 81.02x
New Brentford 7 225.81x
Swindon 7 17.32x
Thornaby 7 32.08x
West Derby 7 3.42x
Whitby 7 233.33x
Altrincham 6 26.40x
Chester St Oswald 6 25.48x
Dutton 6 659.34x
Little Mollington 6 5454.55x
Lower Whitley 6 1395.35x
Norton Canes 6 82.76x
Plumbley 6 810.81x
Wreningham 6 612.24x
Bushbury 5 140.06x
Delamere 5 427.35x
Fulham London 5 5.85x
Southwark St George Martyr 5 4.22x
Thetford St Mary 5 202.43x
Toxteth Park 5 2.11x
Kirkdale 4 3.40x
Ovenden 4 15.40x
Penrith 4 21.34x
Salford 4 1.95x
Sedgley 4 5.41x
Shouldham Thorpe 4 714.29x
Weston In Runcorn 4 118.34x
Barton Under Needwood 3 83.10x
Birkenhead 3 2.89x
Dudley 3 3.21x
Dundee 3 1.47x
Little Sutton 3 171.43x
Lymm 3 31.75x
Marham 3 198.68x
Rotherham 3 9.12x
Shoreditch London 3 1.17x
Wisbech St Peter 3 16.03x
Croydon 2 1.26x
Dawley 2 10.80x
Fulshaw 2 83.68x
Fylingdales 2 68.73x
Heigham 2 4.11x
Hethel 2 666.67x
Higher Bebington 2 24.01x
Horsham St Faith 2 132.45x
Kensington London 2 0.61x
Lakenham 2 15.54x
Layton With Warbreck 2 7.79x
Leven 2 116.96x
Lower Bebington 2 25.87x
Norwich St Stephen 2 24.04x
Shotwick 2 1250.00x
Walpole St Andrew 2 141.84x
Wymondham 2 21.60x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 39
Sarah 26
Elizabeth 20
Ann 17
Emma 17
Annie 10
Eliza 10
Jane 10
Emily 9
Alice 7
Charlotte 7
Ellen 6
Lydia 6
Ada 5
Anne 5
Clara 5
Louisa 5
Martha 5
Harriet 4
Harriett 4
Elizth. 3
Florence 3
Frances 3
Hannah 3
Laura 3
Minnie 3
Phoebe 3
Rebecca 3
Susan 3
Caroline 2
Francis 2
Jessie 2
Julia 2
Lillah 2
Maggie 2
Margaret 2
Maria 2
Rose 2
Anna 1
Bessie 1
Betsey 1
Elimy 1
Emiley 1
Ethel 1
Kathleen 1
Libby 1
Lily 1
Lizzie 1
Lottie 1
Wineford 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
George 32
William 32
John 28
Samuel 17
Thomas 16
James 15
Robert 12
Henry 10
Joseph 10
Alfred 9
Edward 9
Richard 8
David 7
Charles 6
Albert 5
Benjamin 4
Enoch 4
Arthur 3
Harry 3
Mark 3
Noah 3
Barnabas 2
Caldwell 2
Chas. 2
Elijah 2
Isaac 2
Isaih 2
Peter 2
Ralph 2
Rowland 2
Thos. 2
Tom 2
Barnabus 1
Cadwalader 1
Caleb 1
Chas 1
Earnest 1
Elias 1
Ernest 1
Frank 1
Frederick 1
Fredrick 1
Henneritta 1
Jessie 1
Joshua 1
Levi 1
Miles 1
Percy 1
Philip 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Spruce surname: questions and answers

How common was the Spruce surname in 1881?

In 1881, 609 people were recorded with the Spruce surname. That placed it at #5,757 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Spruce surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,278 in 2016. That gives Spruce a modern rank of #4,681.

What does the Spruce surname mean?

An English surname likely derived from the spruce tree.

What does the Spruce map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Spruce 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.