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Spencer Family History

Spencer Name Meaning

English: occupational name for someone employed in the pantry of a great house or monastery, from Middle English spense ‘larder’ + the agent suffix -er.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press


Similar surnames: Spence, Spenner, Penner, Speller, Speiser, Spicer, Stenner, Pender

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Spencer family from?

You can see how Spencer families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Spencer family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Spencer families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 6,066 Spencer families living in Lancashire. This was about 21% of all the recorded Spencer's in United Kingdom. Lancashire had the highest population of Spencer families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Spencer surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Spencer ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, General Labourer and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Spencer. 6% of Spencer men worked as a General Labourer and 64% of Spencer women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Spencer were Incapacitated and Private Means. .

View Census Data for Spencer | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1939

  • General Labourer
    6%
  • Builders Labourer
    3%
  • Bricklayer
    2%
  • Incapacitated
    2%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    64%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    3%
  • Housewife
    3%
  • Private Means
    2%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Spencer family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 1 million census records available for the last name Spencer. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Spencer census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Spencer

Passenger Lists

There are 93,000 immigration records available for the last name Spencer. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Spencer immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 157,000 military records available for the last name Spencer. For the veterans among your Spencer ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Spencer military records

You've only scratched the surface of Spencer family history

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What is the average Spencer lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Spencer life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1942, and highest in 2001. The average life expectancy for Spencer in 1940 was 41, and 73 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Spencer

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