SPOORS
Spoors is an English surname that traces its origin to the Old English word spur, denoting a metal fitting affixed to the heel of a rider’s boot to urge a horse forward. The name almost certainly began as an occupational surname for an individual who made or sold such spurs. It may also have been applied as a nickname to a person who frequently wore spurs or who was otherwise closely associated with equestrian pursuits.
The surname exists in a number of spelling variants, some of which appear in English and occasionally Scottish records, while others are found in German and Dutch contexts. The variations include Spore, Spores, Spors, Spoors, Spours, Spurr, Spurman, Spurrier, Spurnier, Spohr, Spehr, Sporner, Spohrman and Spormann. The diversity of spellings reflects the name’s long history and the differing orthographic conventions of the periods in which the records were produced.
Historical documentation confirms that Spoors is a pre‑medieval occupational surname. In the British Isles the trade of spur and bit making was widespread, but the city of Ripon in North Yorkshire is recorded as an acknowledged centre for this craft. The name continues to retain particular prevalence in Yorkshire and Northumberland up to the present day. The occupational meaning of the name is derived from either the Old English pre‑7th century word spora or the Old High German sporo, both meaning a spur.
In some instances the surname also served a residential purpose, describing a person who lived in proximity to a “spur” – a piece of land that juts outward above a surrounding landscape. An example of this usage appears in the record of Henricus von der Spor of Munstermaifeld, Germany, dated 1301.
Early documentary evidence for the occupation includes the name of John le Spureman of Somerset in 1222, Peter Spore – also recorded as Peter Spure – in the Pipe Rolls of Sussex in 1236, and Clewin Sporer of Neuenburg, Germany, in 1352. The surname also features in later maritime and civil records, such as that of Robert Spurr, who sailed from London on 15 May 1635 bound for St. Christopher in the West Indies, and of Jane Spoors, who was christened in 1777 at Earsdon in North Shields, Northumberland, as the daughter of Martin Spoors.
Typical given names associated with the Spoors surname
Male
- David
- Derek
- George
- John
- Mark
- Matthew
- Michael
- Paul
- Robert
- Roger
- Stephen
- Thomas
Female
- Alison
- Ann
- Caroline
- Claire
- Elizabeth
- Joanne
- Margaret
- Mary
- Patricia
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Spoors in...
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There are approximately 875 people named Spoors in the UK. That makes it roughly the 8,184th most common surname in Britain. Around 13 in a million people in Britain are named Spoors.
