The Sperry surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 7,760 people carried this name — #4,569 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 38,000 people counted. That is up 2% from 7,605 in 2000.

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In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 45 people named Sperry.

2 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 9 départements, most often Haut-Rhin.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 2
Haut-Rhin 23
Bas-Rhin 5
Paris 5
Yvelines 3
Allier 2
Nord 2
Meurthe-et-Moselle 1
Doubs 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

72 families named Sperry, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 421 people lived in those households, 5.8 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 2 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Connecticut 54
Massachusetts 5
Virginia 5
Vermont 4
New Hampshire 2
New York 1
Maryland 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 263 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Sperry in American newspapers,
1900–1917.

Newspaper page from Yellowstone Monitor carrying the name Sperry
Yellowstone Monitor 1911-01-12
Newspaper page from Tensas Gazette carrying the name Sperry
Tensas Gazette 1917-05-04
Newspaper page from The Silver State carrying the name Sperry
The Silver State 1900-11-13

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 116,699 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Sperry in Australian newspapers,
1850s–1980s.

571 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Sperry. The most, 138, date from the 1930s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in South Australia, at 1.3 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 175
Victoria 132
Queensland 99
South Australia 82
Western Australia 44
Tasmania 29
ACT (Canberra) 4

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Sperry.

Who carried it

People named Sperry,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Nehemiah D. Sperry
    Nehemiah D. Sperry 1827–1911 · politician
  • Mary Simpson Sperry
    Mary Simpson Sperry 1833–1921 · activist
  • Lyman B. Sperry
    Lyman B. Sperry 1841–1923 · physician
  • E. Frank Sperry
    E. Frank Sperry 1843–1916 · politician
  • Lewis Sperry
    Lewis Sperry 1848–1922 · lawyer
  • Richard Sperry 1653–

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Sperry,
in the records of 7 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States730 records

730 records of the Sperry name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 277
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 199
  • Other U.S. records 254
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Donald D. Sperry

    Born 1919 in California. Enlisted 1941 at Los Angeles; auto mechanic from Los Angeles County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1966, buried at Los Angeles National Cemetery, California.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record William Forsyth Sperry

    Born 1946; from Augusta, Georgia. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1966 in South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Sarah Sperry

    Arrived at New York in 1873 aboard the Samaria from Liverpool, aged 17; servant. From England.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 730 records for Sperry in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada284 records

284 records of the Sperry name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 276
  • Halifax municipal cemeteries 5
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 3
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Winston Clyde Sperry

    Buried in 1975 at Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia, aged 69.

    Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Elizabeth Deliah Sperry

    Died 1948 in Petite Riviere, Lunenburg, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Mary Sperry

    Died 1904; buried at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.

    City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver.

Showing 3 of 284 records for Sperry in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

France28 records

28 records of the Sperry name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Andres Emilio Teodoro Sperry

    Born 1904 in Belgium; died 1994 in Auribeau-sur-Siagne (Alpes-Maritimes).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Marie Rosalie Sperry

    Born 1897 in Lutterbach; died 1979 in Mulhouse (Haut-Rhin).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  3. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Paul Sperry

    Born 1910 in Paris; died 1976 in Montluçon (Allier).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 28 records for Sperry in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Australia27 records

27 records of the Sperry name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 21
  • Tasmanian Names Index 5
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 1
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Wm Sperry

    Arrived in Victoria in 1858 aboard the Mermaid, aged 22; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Margaret J. Sperry

    Charwoman of Richmond, Victoria; died 1916.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record Charles Sperry

    Listed at Launceston, Tasmania, in the census of 1843.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 27 records for Sperry in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Germany6 records

6 records of the Sperry name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Adolf Sperry

    From Lutterbach. Reported taken prisoner in the Prussian casualty list of 25 March 1919 (Reserve Infantry Regiment No. 91).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Eugen Sperry

    From Blienschweiler. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 22 December 1914 (Infantry Regiment No. 168).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  3. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Marzell Sperry

    From Blienschweiler, Schlettstadt. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 17 September 1917.

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Showing 3 of 6 records for Sperry in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

Netherlands2 records

2 records of the Sperry name in the Netherlands Dutch population registers
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Emile Sperry

    In the population register of Roermond; born 1869 in Andlau.

    Open Archives, Gemeentearchief Roermond (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Lanora Sperry

    In a population register.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

United Kingdom1 record

1 record of the Sperry name in the United Kingdom War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record J. W. Sperry

    Second Lieutenant, Lan.Fus. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Sperry.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Sperry is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Sperry volume
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