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Spencer (given name)

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For other uses, see Spencer.
Spencer
GenderUnisex
Language(s)English
Origin
Meaning"dispenser of provisions"
Other names
Nickname(s)Spence

Spencer is a given name of British origin, that means "steward" or "administrator". It is a shortened form of the English word dispenser, which derives from Anglo-French dispensour, from Old French dispenseor, from Latin dispensatorem, the agent noun of dispensare, meaning "to disperse, administer, and distribute (by weight)". The name originated as the surname Spencer, but later gradually came to be used as a given name as well.

From its origin as a surname, it has been given to both males and females, but it has historically been more common as a name for males. According to the Social Security Administration of the United States, its popularity as a male given name began increasing steadily in the early twentieth century and spiked dramatically in the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s. Its usage peaked in 1998 with 4,619 baby boys named Spencer in that year. In the late 2000s, the name's popularity for male infants declined and plateaued between roughly 1,400 - 1,500 boys named Spencer each year.

Its usage as a female given name began to gradually increase in the late 1970s before suddenly taking off in the mid-1980s. Female usage of the name declined in the late 2000s, but has been rising rapidly since 2009. 244 baby girls were named Spencer in 2016.

List of persons with the given name

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Fictional characters

  • Spencer, a character from the British television series Thomas & Friends
  • Spencer Carlin, a character from the American teen drama television series South of Nowhere
  • Spencer Gray, a character from the British soap opera Hollyoaks
  • Spencer Hastings, a character from the American teen drama Pretty Little Liars
  • Spencer Reid, a character from the American police-procedural television program Criminal Minds
  • Spencer Ricks, a character from the American TV program Charmed
  • Spencer Rosegunde Thomas, a character from the American radio and television Western drama series Gunsmoke
  • Spencer Shay, a character from the American teen sitcom iCarly
  • Spencer Walsh, a character from the Disney Channel series Good Luck Charlie
Name listThis page or section lists people that share the same given name.
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Spencer the Painter, a character from the British kids television programme, Balamory

References

  1. Harper, Douglas. "Dispenser". Online Etymology Dictionary. etymonline.com. Archived from the original on 2018-01-06. Retrieved 2018-01-06.
  2. ^ "Spencer". The Name Meaning. thenamemeaning.com. 23 May 2014. Archived from the original on 4 November 2017. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
Name listThis page or section lists people that share the same given name.
If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change that link to point directly to the intended article. Categories: