Spain a surname English, Norman, French, Irish in origin, but linked to expatriates, or colonialists, who either had origins in Spain or had spent a significant amount of time there.^{[citation needed][clarification needed]} The evolution of the name came about when the government of each European country introduced personal taxation, known as Poll Tax in England,^[4] and surnames became necessary for record keeping.

The earliest recorded use of the surname:^{[citation needed]}

• in the form of de Espaigne is from 1179 in the Pipe Rolls of Essex during the reign of King Henry II
• in the form of Espáine...
• in the form of Spane is from 1302 in Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire
• in the form of Spaigne is from 1318 in the Calendar of Letter Books of London
• in the form of Spayne is from 1327 in the Subsidy Rolls of Cambridgeshire
• in the form of de Hispania is from 1086 in the Domesday Book of 1086, came from Espaignes
• in the form of Spaine is from 1579 in the Recordings from London Church Registers
• in the form of Spain is from 1697 in the Recordings from London Church Registers

• Amy Spain (c. 1848 – 1865), American slave
• Christale Spain, American politician
• Douglas Spain (born 1974), American film and television actor
• Elsie Spain (1879–1970), English opera singer
• Emira D'Spain, Emirati-American model and social media influencer
• Frances Lander Spain (1903–1999), American librarian
• Francis Spain (1909–1977), American amateur ice hockey player
• Frank K. Spain (1927–2006), American inventor and television engineer
• James W. Spain (1926–2008), American Foreign Service
• Karl Spain (born 1971), Irish comedian
• Ken Spain (1946–1990), American basketball player
• Mark Spain, American journalist
• Nancy Spain (1917–1964), English broadcaster and journalist
• Patrick Spain (born 1952), CEO of First Stop Health, LLC
• Quinton Spain (born 1991), American football player
• Robert Spain (politician), Vermont legislator
• Robert Hitchcock Spain (1925–2022), American Methodist bishop
• W. J. Spain (1865–1936), Irish Gaelic footballer and hurler

• Míl Espáine, Mythical ancestor of the final inhabitants of Ireland