Explore the Family Name Speake
The meaning of Speake
English: 1. habitational name from Speke in Lancashire, named in Old English with spēc ‘small branch, twig’. 2. nickname from Middle English spek(e), spec (Old French espech(e), espek). The name was interchangeable with the synonymous name Speight. Espec or Espek is recorded as a nickname in Normandy from 1036. History: By the time of Domesday book in 1086, ancestors of the Speke family were in possession of lands in Yorkshire and were clearly influential there: Walter Espec was one of the founders of Kirkham and Rievaulx Abbeys in the 12th century. The present family trace their descent from Richard Espec, steward of the Fitzregis family c.1160. A later member of the family was the explorer John Hanning Speke (1827–64), who found the source of the Nile. He was born in Bideford, Devon, into a branch of the Yorkshire family which had migrated to Devon in the 15th century.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Speake in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname "Speake" saw a slight decrease between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, the name was ranked 28,005th in popularity, with a count of 806 individuals carrying the name, or 0.3 per 100k people. However, by 2010, the ranking had dropped to 30,767th, with only 757 individuals bearing the name, or approximately 0.26 per 100k, indicating a change of -9.86% in rank and -6.08% in count.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #28,005 | #30,767 | -9.86% |
| Count | 806 | 757 | -6.08% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.3 | 0.26 | -13.33% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Speake
In terms of ethnicity distribution for those named "Speake", the Decennial U.S. Census data shows that the vast majority identify as White. In both 2000 and 2010, this group accounted for over 93% of individuals with this surname. The percentage identifying as Hispanic saw the largest increase over this period, rising from 2.73% to 3.57%. Those who identified as having two or more ethnic identities decreased from 2.36% to 1.32%. There were no recorded individuals with the surname "Speake" that identified as Asian/Pacific Islander, Black, or American Indian and Alaskan Native in either year.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 93.3% | 93.53% | 0.25% |
| Hispanic | 2.73% | 3.57% | 30.77% |
| Two or More Races | 2.36% | 1.32% | -44.07% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.99% | 0.92% | -7.07% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Black | 0% | 0% | 0% |