Given name & surname
Spencer
“dispenser”·“an administrator; dispenser of provisions”·“one who dispenses provisions”
Spencer is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “dispenser”, “an administrator; dispenser of provisions” (English), and “one who dispenses provisions” (English). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “dispenser”, “an administrator; dispenser of provisions” (English), and “one who dispenses provisions” (English). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is English.
How it developed
It entered given-name use through an existing surname.
The story
Its naming history includes the use of a family name as a given name.
Spencer through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 129,638
- 123,931 boys · 5,707 girls
- Most popular year
- 1998
- 4,780 babies
- 2025
- 1,153
- #360 for boys · #1,025 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −16%
- Easing
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 81% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 908 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 360 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 18.8% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 4,619 in 1998. It also appeared in 245 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (66). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 106,323 as a first name in 2020; 135,510 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Spencer’s family of names
In English usage, Spencer has a diminutive in Spence. Spencer has a related form in Spenser. In English usage, Spencer has a short form in Spence.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 7
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
People named Spencer
- Spencer TracyAmerican actor (1900–1967)
- Spencer Perceval19th-century prime minister of the United Kingdom (1762–1812)
- Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of WilmingtonPrime Minister of Great Britain1674–1743
- Spencer Fullerton BairdAmerican naturalist, ornithologist, ichthyologist, museum curator, and the 2nd Secretary of the Smithsonian (1823-1887)
- Spencer TunickAmerican photographerborn 1967
- Spencer BreslinAmerican actor and musicianborn 1992
- Spencer Treat ClarkAmerican actorborn 1987
- Spencer Cox18th Governor of Utah since 2021born 1975
- Spencer JohnsonAmerican writer1938–2017
Characters named Spencer: Spencer Smythe (Marvel Comics), Spencer Hastings (fictional character of the TV series Pretty Little Liars), Spencer Reid (Criminal Minds).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Spencer, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Tanner
“one who tans hides” · “one who makes leather”
95% boys · 5% girls
Hunter
“a great huntress and provider” · “a great huntsman and provider”
93% boys · 7% girls
Cade
“a precocious young woman” · “one who is round”
>99% boys
Tyler
“tiler of roofs” · “a tiler of roofs”
95% boys · 5% girls
Nigel
“the champion”
>99% boys
Jefferson
“son of JEFFREY” · “the son of Jeffrey”
>99% boys
Pierce
“as solid and strong as a rock”
96% boys · 4% girls
Grant
“large” · “a tall man; a great man”
>99% boys