Spelman Surname

122,171st
Most Common
surname in the World

Approximately 3,745 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in:
United States
Highest density in:
Ireland

Spelman Surname Definition:

This surname is derived from the name of an ancestor. 'the son of Spileman.' I am much tempted to set the name beside Speller, but saving in one or two cases all the entries have it Spileman, without prefix le. I think it must go as a personal name with Bateman, Tiddiman, &c.

Read More About This Surname

Spelman Surname Distribution Map

PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States1,4451:250,83723,840
South Africa6601:82,08710,133
England6541:85,1969,342
Nicaragua2951:20,410982
Ireland2641:17,8371,927
Finland861:63,9157,300
Australia671:402,92132,505
Russia621:2,324,565137,882
New Zealand411:110,44714,290
Estonia381:34,7846,408
Scotland181:297,43413,849
Botswana171:128,64318,229
Netherlands151:1,125,81268,885
Indonesia121:11,020,766390,383
Canada111:3,349,599180,238
France91:7,380,302306,885
Thailand81:8,829,793476,604
Germany71:11,500,780305,602
Philippines51:20,247,645262,352
Dominican Republic41:2,608,23320,941
Sweden41:2,461,689157,534
Wales41:773,63329,106
India21:383,532,6911,645,216
Laos11:6,588,3231,961
Singapore11:5,507,70347,049
Spain11:46,752,036156,870
Switzerland11:8,212,915156,297
Norway11:5,142,286129,201
Morocco11:34,476,099111,471
Lesotho11:2,032,55823,402
Italy11:61,156,688199,583
Hong Kong11:7,335,48316,643
Guernsey11:64,4392,137
Gibraltar11:33,9541,660
Georgia11:3,745,54547,852
Denmark11:5,644,71593,155
Cambodia11:15,487,14614,824
Bulgaria11:6,978,90586,260
Brazil11:214,074,3321,693,628
Argentina11:42,743,414282,706
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Ireland4221:10,4971,507
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
England2991:81,5238,725
Scotland121:311,9359,798
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States6461:77,7388,246

Spelman (120) may also be a first name.

Spelman Surname Meaning

From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history

This surname is derived from the name of an ancestor. 'the son of Spileman.' I am much tempted to set the name beside Speller, but saving in one or two cases all the entries have it Spileman, without prefix le. I think it must go as a personal name with Bateman, Tiddiman, &c. compare the German Spielmann; v. Speakman.

John Speleman, Nottinghamshire, 1273. Hundred Rolls.

William Spelesman, Wiltshire, ibid.

Eustace Spileman, Oxfordshire, ibid.

There are nine entries of Spileman in the Hundred Rolls, representing five counties.

Richard Spileman, Wiltshire, Henry III-Edward I: Testa de Nevill, sive Liber Feodorum, temp. Henry III-Edward I.

Nicholas Spilman, Wiltshire, ibid.

Thomas Spyleman, Close Rolls, 44 Henry III.

John Speleman, Somerset, 1 Edward III: Kirby's Quest.

Roger Spileman, Somerset, 1 Edward III: ibid.

A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (1896) by Charles Wareing Endell Bardsley

(Eng) 1 equiv. to Speller, q.v.

2 for Spillman1, q.v.

Surnames of the United Kingdom (1912) by Henry Harrison

Ó Spealáin. This Gaelic name, anglicized Spillane, q.v., elsewhere, is Spelman in Connacht. MIF 221; Map Sligo

A Guide to Irish Names (1964) by Edward MacLysaght

Ó Spealáin. This Gaelic name, anglicized Spillane, q.v., elsewhere, is Spelman in Connacht. MIF 221; Map Sligo

A Guide to Irish Names (1964) by Edward MacLysaght

(Irish, English) A preacher or orator; one who entertained by stories, songs, buffoonery or juggling.

Dictionary of American Family Names (1956) by Elsdon Coles Smith

Camden says, "a learned manbut more probably either a man who works by spells, or turns, with another, or a worker of spells or charms. See English Surn., i. 113.

Patronymica Britannica (1860) by Mark Antony Lower

(Danish.) From Spillemand, a fiddler. Spille, to game, to play.

An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names (1857) by William Arthur

Spelman Last Name Facts

Where Does The Last Name Spelman Come From? nationality or country of origin

The last name Spelman (Arabic: سبلمان, Marathi: पेलमन, Russian: Спельман) occurs more in The United States more than any other country/territory. It can be rendered as:. For other potential spellings of Spelman click here.

How Common Is The Last Name Spelman? popularity and diffusion

This last name is the 122,171st most common last name on a worldwide basis, held by around 1 in 1,945,940 people. Spelman is primarily found in The Americas, where 39 percent of Spelman live; 31 percent live in North America and 31 percent live in Anglo-North America. It is also the 852,104th most frequently held first name at a global level. It is borne by 120 people.

The surname Spelman is most frequently occurring in The United States, where it is held by 1,445 people, or 1 in 250,837. In The United States Spelman is mostly concentrated in: California, where 10 percent live, Florida, where 8 percent live and Texas, where 5 percent live. Beside The United States Spelman is found in 39 countries. It is also common in South Africa, where 18 percent live and England, where 17 percent live.

Spelman Family Population Trend historical fluctuation

The frequency of Spelman has changed through the years. In The United States the number of people who held the Spelman last name increased 224 percent between 1880 and 2014; in England it increased 219 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Ireland it fell 37 percent between 1901 and 2014 and in Scotland it increased 150 percent between 1881 and 2014.

Spelman Last Name Statistics demography

The religious devotion of those carrying the surname is predominantly Catholic (99%) in Ireland.

In The United States those bearing the Spelman surname are 5.22% more likely to be registered Republicans than The US average, with 51.99% being registered to vote for the political party.

The amount Spelman earn in different countries varies significantly. In South Africa they earn 6.38% more than the national average, earning R 252,804 per year; in United States they earn 19.89% more than the national average, earning $51,730 USD per year and in Canada they earn 12.85% less than the national average, earning $43,301 CAD per year.

Phonetically Similar Names

SurnameSimilarityWorldwide IncidencePrevalency
Spellman9311,936/
Speelman9310,935/
Spielman935,611/
Spoelman93598/
Speulman93139/
Spelmane9370/
Spelmann9341/
Spelmand931/
Spielmann889,826/
Spellmann88111/
Spehlmann8837/
Speelmann8819/
Shpielman8810/
Spiellman887/
Spielmain881/
Speellman881/
Spellmain880/
Spiehlman880/
Spilman862,584/
Spelmon8628/
Spelmam863/
Spllman860/
Spiehlmann8220/
Spiellmann822/
Spillman807,264/
Shpilman80514/
Spilmann80368/
Szpilman80179/
Shpylman80144/
Spellmon80140/
Speelmon80114/
Szpylman8069/
Spihlman8067/
Spēlmane802/
Spilmane801/
Speelmam801/
Spellmanová781/
Spellmanova781/
Spillmann751,911/
Spihlmann75116/
Schpilman759/
Špielmann754/
Shpilmann754/
Spöllmann752/
Spielmonn751/
Spillmaun751/
Spillmane750/
Spilmon7143/
Spilmam7113/
Špilman716/
Spilmont67404/
Spillmon6734/
Chpilman675/

Spelman Name Transliterations

TransliterationICU LatinPercentage of Incidence
Spelman in the Marathi language
पेलमनpelamana-
Spelman in the Russian language
Спельманspelman-
Spelman in the Arabic language
سبلمانsblman-

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Footnotes

  • Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
  • Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
  • Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
  • Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
  • Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
  • Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
  • Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to Spelman
  • To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on Family​Search, My​Heritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis