The English surname of Spencer comes from the Old French term ‘dispencier'; which meant steward and later referring to a butler. The early English versions were Despenser and Dispenser.

Spelling variations for Spencer include Spender, Spence, Spens, Spenser, Dispencer, Spences and Espencer. In Germany, the Spencer surname is written Speiser.

In northern England the Spencer surname is very common. The counties of Yorkshire and Lancashire and some neighboring areas such as Nottinghamshire also have Spencer families. The City of London is very populated with Spencer as a surname. Found in Scotland the Spencer surname is in the southwestern area, centered in Lanarkshire and Ayrshire.

The states of Washington, California, Texas, Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan and Indiana within the United States have the higher numbers of Spencer families.

Famous: Diana Frances Spencer (Princess of Wales), Herbert Spencer (19th century promoter of Social Darwinism), John Spencer (actor), William Robert Spencer (19th century poet from England), Sandra Spencer (English TV entertainer), Noel Spencer (soccer player from Australia), Jeremy Spencer (English singer), Ivor Spencer (founder of the Ivor Spencer School for Butlers), Felton Spencer (professional basketball player) and Earl Winfield Spencer Jr. (early pioneer of aviation for the U. S. Navy).