The Sprague surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 22,610 people carried this name — #1,584 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 13,100 people counted. That is up 1% from 22,283 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Sprague surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a nickname: ‘the spragg’.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 709 · public domain.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

242 families named Sprague, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 1,405 people lived in those households, 5.8 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 4 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

Massachusetts 92
New York 48
Rhode Island 38
Vermont 18
Maine 16
Connecticut 14
New Hampshire 13
Pennsylvania 3

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

Sprague in American newspapers,
1879–1900.

Newspaper page from Daily Press And Dakotaian carrying the name Sprague
Daily Press And Dakotaian 1879-08-16
Newspaper page from The Anderson Intelligencer carrying the name Sprague
The Anderson Intelligencer 1879-08-21
Newspaper page from The Bourbon News carrying the name Sprague
The Bourbon News 1900-08-24

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain.

In print

Sprague in Australian newspapers,
1850s–1990s.

5,328 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Sprague. The most, 1,300, 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 3.3 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 3,570
New South Wales 978
Queensland 306
South Australia 266
Western Australia 83
Tasmania 80
ACT (Canberra) 34
Northern Territory 1

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

Who carried it

People named Sprague,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Leslie Sprague d. 1942
  • Tristram Sprague 1550–1630
  • Ralph Sprague 1575–1650
  • William Sprague 1609–1675
  • William Sprague 1609–1675
  • John Sprague 1624–1692

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Sprague,
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 States2,531 records

2,531 records of the Sprague name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 803
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 737
  • Other U.S. records 991
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record James G. Sprague

    Born 1910 in Vermont. Enlisted 1942 at Rutland; bookkeeper from Bennington County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1997, buried at Village Cemetery, Stamford, Vermont.

    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 Stanley George Sprague

    Born 1930; from Rapid City, South Dakota. U.S. Air Force; killed in action 1966 in North Vietnam. Buried at Black Hills National Cemetery, South Dakota.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (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 Ellen Sprague

    Arrived at New York in 1876 aboard the Algeria from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 43; matron. From England.

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

Showing 3 of 2,531 records for Sprague 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) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). 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).

Australia237 records

237 records of the Sprague name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 143
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 62
  • Other Australian records 32
  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 Robert Sprague

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Burrell, arriving 1830.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record John Sprague

    Arrived in Victoria in 1855 aboard the Shalimar, aged 28; Irish.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Donald Samuel Sprague

    Quality control manager of West Brunswick, Victoria; died 1977.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 237 records for Sprague in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). 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); 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).

Canada93 records

93 records of the Sprague name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 70
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 11
  • Other Canadian records 12
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Gill Sprague

    Buried in 1966 at Mount Hermon Cemetery, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, aged 63.

    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 Cyril Wesley Sprague

    Died 1970 in Brooklyn, Queens, Nova Scotia, aged 50.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  3. 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 Ralph Murry Sprague

    Died in service in 1944.

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

Showing 3 of 93 records for Sprague in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). 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); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

United Kingdom4 records

4 records of the Sprague name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 3
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 1
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record A. T. Sprague

    Shropshire Light Infantry. 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 G. Sprague

    Corporal, Middlesex Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    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 H. Sprague

    Evonshire Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

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

Showing 3 of 4 records for Sprague in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. 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 Sprague name in New Zealand
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 2
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Dorcas Sprague

    Buried in 1898 at Shortland Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 71.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Livre d’or of the French war dead, Paris
    Example: roll of the war dead
    War record F. Sprague

    Lance Corporal, New Zealand Cyclist Corps. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record John Sprague

    Buried in 1890 at Shortland Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 54.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Livre d’or of the war dead, Paris, Ministère des pensions, Archives nationales (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Sprague.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Sprague is.
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