ESC Name Rank Total Searching... No names found Try searching for: Emma, Liam, Olivia, Noah... 👦As Boy Name 1968 First Year 2024 Last Year 1988 Peak Year #501 Peak Rank 3K Total Count 48 Years Active 👧As Girl Name 1987 First Year 2022 Last Year 1992 Peak Year #3144 Peak Rank 372 Total Count 23 Years Active 📖 ## The Story of Spenser ### As a girl name Spenser first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 1987, with 17 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1992: 36 births, good for #3,144 nationwide. The 1990s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 62% of all recorded Spensers. Its most recent appearance in the national data came in 2022 (8 births); the name has since faded from the published rankings. In total, more than 372 Spensers have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1980s through the 2020s. ### As a boy name The earliest SSA record of Spenser as a boy name dates back to 1968, when 6 babies received it. 1988 was its biggest year on record, with 333 newborns named Spenser — #501 in the national rankings. The 1990s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 47% of all recorded Spensers. Its most recent appearance in the national data came in 2024 (8 births); the name has since faded from the published rankings. In total, more than 3K Spensers have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1960s through the 2020s. ## Popularity Over Time Girls Boys ## Popularity by State 👧 Girls 👦 Boys ME WA MT ND MN WI MI NY VT NH MA OR ID SD IA IL IN OH PA NJ CT RI CA NV WY NE MO KY WV VA MD DE DC UT CO KS AR TN NC SC AK AZ NM OK LA MS AL GA HI TX FL Top 10 11-50 51-100 101-500 500+ No data 🎶 ## Names that sound like Spenser Phonetically similar names — useful when Spenser is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * [Spencer](/spencer) * Sponsor * Censor * Sensor * [Spence](/spence) * Censer * Spencers * Censore * Spens * Sencer * Specer * Spener Source: [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated. ❓ ## Frequently Asked Questions about Spenser What does the name Spenser mean? Spenser is a boy's name that has been used in U.S. records since 1968\. Behind the Name doesn't list a specific etymology, but the name has remained in use across multiple decades. How popular is Spenser in 2026? In 2026, Spenser ranks #8,947 among boys' names in the U.S., with 8 babies given the name that year. When was Spenser most popular? Spenser reached its peak popularity in 1988, ranking #501 that year with 333 babies given the name. In which U.S. states is Spenser most popular? Spenser has historically been most popular in South Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Spenser. Is Spenser a unisex name? Yes — Spenser is used for both girls and boys in U.S. records, with about 11% of Spensers assigned female and 89% assigned male historically. What names go well with Spenser? Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Spenser include Ignacio, Marcel, Quintin. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data. ## Similar Names ### 👦 Similar Boy Names [👦IgnacioPeak #501](/ignacio)[👦MarcelPeak #500](/marcel)[👦QuintinPeak #502](/quintin)[👦AricPeak #502](/aric) ### 👧 Similar Girl Names [👧OnidaPeak #3144](/onida)[👧DelemaPeak #3144](/delema)[👧AsencionPeak #3144](/asencion)[👧BetricePeak #3144](/betrice) ## About the name Spenser Spenser is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1968 and has accumulated 3K births in the dataset. Spenser's peak popularity came in 1988 when it ranked #501\. Use the chart and map above to compare Spenser's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices. ### Continue exploring * [ Top names of 1988 → ](/year/1988) * [ Names of the 1980s → ](/decade/1980s) * [ Names starting with "S" → ](/letter/s) * [ Browse all boy names → ](/names/boys) * [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026) * [ Browse unisex names → ](/names/unisex) Data sources * Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. [Social Security Administration ](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/). Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships. * Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — [Behind the Name ](https://www.behindthename.com/) (used under their public API terms). * Meaning prose and editorial summary — [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/) article extracts, licensed under [CC BY-SA 3.0 ](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/). * Predicted nationality distribution — [Nationalize.io ](https://nationalize.io/). * Phonetically similar names — [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.