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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Spencer Abbott (disambiguation), multiple people, including: Spencer Abbott (baseball) (1877–1951), American baseball player Spencer Abbott (ice hockey) (born 1988), Canadian ice hockey player Spencer Abraham (born 1952), American politician Spencer Ackerman, American journalist Spencer Adams (1898–1970), American baseball player Spencer Adkins (born 1987), American football player Spencer Albee (born 1976), American musician Spencer Allen (1893–1978), English cricketer Spencer Anderson (born 2000), American football player Spencer Antle (born 1969), American fashion designer Spencer Armstrong (born 1986), Canadian football player Spencer Asah (died 1954), American painter Spencer Austen-Leigh (1834-1913), English cricketer