Spenser

Meaning & origin

Spenser is a variant spelling of the much more common Spencer, a surname-turned-given-name of English origin. The name first appeared in U.S. birth records in 1968, and its peak year of usage was 1988. Since 2017, Spenser has been rising in popularity, though it remains quite rare. As of 2025, it ranks 10,695th nationally, with approximately 1 in 284,679 boys given the name annually. The variant spelling likely draws inspiration from the poet Edmund Spenser, though it has never matched the popularity of the Spencer spelling. Spenser has no strong state-level concentration and remains a distinctive choice for parents seeking a less common version of a classic name.

Spenser is a variant of the surname Spencer, which originated as an occupational name for a steward or butler, from the Middle English 'spense' (pantry) and the agent suffix '-er'. The spelling with an 's' instead of 'c' was popularized by the Elizabethan poet Edmund Spenser, but the name has been used as a given name primarily in the United States since the late 20th century.