The Spivey surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 21,161 people carried this name — #1,702 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 13,900 people counted. That is up 4% from 20,349 in 2000.

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Where the name comes from

The origin of the Spivey surname

From Middle English Spivi.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Spivey» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

44 families named Spivey, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 242 people lived in those households, 5.5 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 3 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

North Carolina 33
Virginia 10
Pennsylvania 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

Spivey in American newspapers,
1879–1923.

Newspaper page from The Washington Tribune carrying the name Spivey
The Washington Tribune 1923-03-03
Newspaper page from Evening Star carrying the name Spivey
Evening Star 1903-10-02
Newspaper page from The Saline County Journal carrying the name Spivey
The Saline County Journal 1879-11-13

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 16,804 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Spivey in Australian newspapers,
1850s–1990s.

844 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Spivey. The most, 244, date from the 1930s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Victoria, at 4.0 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 617
Western Australia 135
Queensland 36
New South Wales 29
South Australia 13
Tasmania 4
ACT (Canberra) 3

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

Who carried it

People named Spivey,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Victoria Spivey
    Victoria Spivey 1906–1976 · composer
  • W. Allen Spivey 1926–2008 · statistician
  • Bill Spivey 1929–1995 · basketball player
  • Mike Spivey 1954–2023 · American football player

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 Spivey,
in the records of 5 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 States958 records

958 records of the Spivey name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 660
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 227
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 47
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 9
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 7
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 5
  • Riverside Cemetery, Asheville (North Carolina) 1
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 1
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 1
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Willie Dalphus Spivey

    Born 1936; from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. U.S. Marine Corps, infantry unit leader; died of wounds 1968 in Quang Nam, South Vietnam. Buried at Florence National Cemetery, South Carolina.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Robert E. Spivey

    Born 1919 in North Carolina. Enlisted 1940 at Lincolnton; farm hand. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1999, buried at Mount View Baptist Church Cemetery, Maiden, North Carolina.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Martin Spivey

    Arrived at New York in 1874 aboard the Spain from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 35; laborer. From England.

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

Showing 3 of 958 records for Spivey in the United States.

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

Australia39 records

39 records of the Spivey name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 22
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 15
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 1
  • Tasmanian Names Index 1
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Richard Spivey

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Lady Nugent, arriving 1835; ticket of leave 1847.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Arthur A. Spivey

    Orchardist of Shepparton East, Victoria; died 1957.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Amelia Spivey

    Arrived in Victoria in 1920 aboard the Beltana, aged 47.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 39 records for Spivey in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

United Kingdom6 records

6 records of the Spivey 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 H. Spivey

    Royal Scots. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record P. Spivey

    Driver, Royal Field Artillery. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record S. Spivey

    Gunner, Royal Field Artillery. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

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

Showing 3 of 6 records for Spivey in the United Kingdom.

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).

New Zealand3 records

3 records of the Spivey name in New Zealand Christchurch City cemetery records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Hilda Spivey

    Died 1981, aged 87; buried at Sydenham Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Ellen Spivey

    Died 1968; buried at Waimairi Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Ernest Watson Spivey

    Died 1932, aged 41; buried at Sydenham Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Canada1 record

1 record of the Spivey name in Canada Canadian Virtual War Memorial
  1. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Clifford Edward Spivey

    Died in service in 1945.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Counts: Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Spivey.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Spivey 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.

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