Explore the Family Name Spector

The meaning of Spector

Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic): occupational name from szpektor ‘teacher’s assistant in a Jewish school’, a derivative of Polish inspektor ‘supervisor’. Compare Specter and Spektor. Some characteristic forenames: Jewish Myer, Asher, Avron, Isadore, Shira, Yaakov, Ari, Chaim, Gershon, Ilan.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Spector in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Spector has slightly decreased over a decade. In 2000, it was ranked 6,507 in terms of frequency and this slipped to 7,221 by 2010, reflecting a change of -10.97%. The count of people with this last name also declined from 4,811 in 2000 to 4,622 in 2010, indicating a drop of nearly 4%. This equates to a decrease in the proportion per hundred thousand people, from 1.78 in 2000 to 1.57 in 2010, marking an -11.8% shift.

20002010Change
Rank#6,507#7,221-10.97%
Count4,8114,622-3.93%
Proportion per 100k1.781.57-11.8%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Spector

When examining the ethnic identity associated with the surname Spector, we find that it is overwhelmingly connected to White ethnicity according to data from the Decennial U.S. Census. In 2000, 95.97% of those bearing this surname identified as White and this number remained relatively stable in 2010 at 95.54%, showing only a minor decrease of -0.45%. However, the 2010 census did record some changes in other ethnic identities. People identifying as Hispanic increased from 1.95% in 2000 to 2.64% in 2010, a significant jump of 35.38%. There was also a small percentage that began identifying as Black and American Indian and Alaskan Native. Meanwhile, the proportion of individuals identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander hardly changed (0.79% to 0.80%) and those identifying with two or more races saw a notable decrease of 50%.

20002010Change
White95.97%95.54%-0.45%
Hispanic1.95%2.64%35.38%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.79%0.8%1.27%
Two or More Races1%0.5%-50%
Black0%0.32%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0.19%0%

Spector ancestry composition

23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Spector is Ashkenazi Jewish, which comprises 60.7% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (13.4%) and French & German (10.0%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, Scandinavian, and Indigenous American.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
Ashkenazi Jewish60.7%
British & Irish13.4%
French & German10.0%
Other15.9%
Spector

Possible origins of the surname Spector

Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.

Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Spector have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Greater London, United Kingdom34.50%
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom34.50%
Glasgow City, United Kingdom33.90%
Merseyside, United Kingdom33.30%
Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom33.30%

What Spector haplogroups can tell you

Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.

The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Spector is J-CTS5368, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup J-CTS5368 is descended from haplogroup J-M304. Other common haplogroups include J-M67 and E-L29, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Silverstein, Birnbaum, Eisenberg, Berkowitz, Resnick, Lieberman, Lerner, Rothman, Caplan, Weinstein.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Spector surname are: K1a1b1a, H1, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

spectorPaternal Haplogroup Origins J-M304
Paternal Haplo Image

Your paternal lineage may be linked to men who spread the Semitic languages

Men carrying the J-M267 lineage took part in many waves of migrations over the millennia, and domesticated animals and plants weren't the only things they carried. They may also have been among the communities that spread the Semitic languages, a diverse group that bloomed from a single proto-Semitic tongue in the Levant nearly 5,750 years ago. These men likely carried branches of both haplogroup J and of the Semitic language family through the Arabian Peninsula to the Horn of Africa. Still later, some J-M267-bearing men re-expanded from the Arabian Peninsula back through the Middle East and across North Africa in migrations associated with the emergence and spread of Islam.

Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette

Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Spector have in common?

Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.

Preferences

Spector

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Spector" Surname 44.1%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Spector

Misophonia

When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.

"Spector" Surname 26.8%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Spector

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Spector" Surname 10.4%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Spector

Migraine

A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

"Spector" Surname 14.1%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Spector?

The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.

Disease variant frequency by ancestry

Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Spector are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Y402H variant

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss among older adults. The disease results in damage to the central part of the retina (the macula), impairing vision needed for reading, driving, or even recognizing faces. The 23andMe Health + Ancestry DNA test includes the two most common variants associated with an increased risk of developing the condition: the Y402H variant in the CFH gene and the A69S variant in the ARMS2 gene. Learn more about Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Ashkenazi Jewish 57.0%

23andMe Users 57.2%