Spencer

Spencer carries the faint clink of pewter cups in a medieval pantry. From the Middle English spens, a steward in charge of provisions, it became an English occupational surname long before first-name duty. The Spencer family of Althorp gave it aristocratic polish, Princess Diana her quiet inheritance; Spencer Tracy gave it midcentury screen gravitas. Over time it drifted gently unisex, equally convincing on a boy with a skateboard or a girl in a pinafore. Ranked 388 in the U.S., its tidy two syllables and crisp central c lend it the air of a linen-bound book kept close at hand.