Speck
A surname that may come from a nickname for the woodpecker, or from an old personal name related to Speke/Speak.
The #5,521 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 49,031 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is usually treated as a nickname or altered form rather than a straightforward occupational name. Several 19th-century surname dictionaries connect it with a word for the woodpecker, from forms like Middle English or Old French words for that bird, though some also point to related spellings such as Speke and Speak. Another line of explanation treats it as a shortened or variant form of an old personal name or place-related surname, so the exact source may vary by family.
History
The name appears in English records under several close spellings, and the historical literature often links Speck with Speke, Speak, and related forms. Because these names were used and written inconsistently, different families may not share the same origin. The surname is now best known in English-speaking countries, including the United States.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
One traditional explanation ties Speck to a nickname for the woodpecker, a bird-name surname that also appears in several other European naming traditions.
From the historical record
“SPEARS, Spear's (Son) : v. Spear. SPECK = Speke, q.v. SPECKIVIAN = Speakman, q.v. SPEDDING for Speeding, q.v. SPEDDY for Speedy, q.v. SPEECHLEY"! (Eng.) Bel. to Spetchley SPEECHLY J (Wore. : a.d. 967 at Spceclea, A.D. 816 SpcBcleahtun) = the Speech-Lea (evid. a field where public meetings were”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)