Notable Spurlins
An index of notable people surnamed Spurlin, with related Spurling-surname figures listed separately as variants.
Sourcing: strong 17 reference · 8 genealogy · 5 official · 5 government · 2 social · 4 news
This page lists public figures with the surname Spurlin, followed by people with the closely related surname Spurling. Each linked article carries its own citations. The list covers only people with published coverage from official, sports-reference, encyclopedic or press sources. Private individuals are left out.
Spurlin
- Mary Jane Spurlin — Mary Jane Spurlin (1883–1970) was a lawyer who became Oregon's first woman judge in 1926 when appointed to the Multnomah County District Court.
- Linda Spurlin — Linda S. Spurlin is the Alaskan breeder who developed the Alaskan Klee Kai, a small husky-type dog breed, from the 1970s onward.
- William J. Spurlin — William J. Spurlin is an American-born literary scholar, Professor Emeritus of English and Comparative Literature at Brunel University London, known for work in queer and postcolonial studies.
- Corey Spurlin — Corey Spurlin is an American conductor and music educator who has directed the Auburn University Marching Band since 2007.
- Tommy Spurlin — Tommy Spurlin (1928–2005) was an American country and rockabilly singer best known for the 1956 single "Hang Loose (I've Gotta Rock)" with his Southern Boys.
- Jeremy Spurlin — Jeremy Spurlin is an American guitarist who played lead guitar for the Christian metal band Disciple from 2001 to 2005.
- Ashley Spurlin — Ashley Spurlin is a U.S. Air Force combat controller and Bronze Star recipient who competed on season 2 of History Channel's Top Shot (2011).
- Pearce Spurlin III — Pearce Spurlin III is an American college football tight end, a four-star Georgia signee whose career was halted by a heart condition in 2024 before he returned with Colorado State in 2026.
- Tyler Spurlin — Tyler Spurlin (born 1991) is an American former minor league relief pitcher from Rice University who pitched in the Milwaukee Brewers organization from 2013 to 2019.
- Jimmy Spurlin — Jimmy Spurlin (died 2006) was a coach and local official in Tifton, Georgia, who chaired the Tift County Commission and was inducted into the ABAC and Tift County athletic halls of fame.
More Spurlins with their own entries
- Scholarship and science. The Enlightenment historian Paul Merrill Spurlin (1902–1994)[1][2], the Hercules cellulose chemist Harold M. Spurlin (1905–1992)[3][4], the Texas historian Charles D. Spurlin (1932–2013)[5] and the Pennsylvania inventor William V. Spurlin, who is named on about 35 US patent documents.[6]
- Music, film, broadcasting and publishing. The jazz saxophonist Dwaine Spurlin[7]; the Hollywood property man and assistant director Bert Spurlin (1899–1957)[8]; Virgil Spurlin, Bill Clinton's high-school band director in Hot Springs, Arkansas, whom Clinton thanked publicly as president[9]; Bill Spurlin, a Boston radio engineer who was WBCN's chief engineer in 1971–72 and later worked at WGBH-FM[10][11]; and the publisher Wendy Spurlin.[12]
- Religion. The Kentucky Baptist preacher James Utley Spurlin (1824–1909)[13] and his great-grandson J. T. Spurlin (1908–2000)[14], first pastor of the First Baptist Church of Juneau, Alaska, and president of the Alaska Baptist Convention at its first three annual sessions[15][16]; the Georgia Baptist preacher James M. Spurlin (1802–1887)[17]; the Presbyterian minister William Dexter Spurlin (1860–1935)[18]; the Methodist minister James Clinton Spurlin (1890–1984)[19]; the Catholic sister and Mississippi prison chaplain Kathleen Spurlin (1925–2023)[20]; and the preacher and author Bob Spurlin.[21]
- Public service. Oxford, Alabama, council president Chris Spurlin[22]; Vietnam War casualty 1LT Daniel R. Spurlin[23]; longtime congressional caseworker Frances Spurlin[24]; the Kentucky utility regulator Robert E. Spurlin, a member of the state Public Service Commission in 1972–76 and 2001–04[25][26]; the Albertville, Alabama, builder and 2010 state Senate candidate Don Spurlin[27]; and Congressman Wright Patman, whose mother was Emma (Spurlin) Patman.[28]
- Medicine and sport. The Berryville, Arkansas, dentist Robert Parker Spurlin (1879–1948)[29] and the 1940s North Carolina football guard Max Spurlin (1923–2001).[30]
Spurling (variant spelling)
Spurling is a separate but closely related surname. These entries are tagged as variants.
- Hilary Spurling — Hilary Spurling (born 1940) is an English biographer known for her two-volume life of Henri Matisse and biographies of Ivy Compton-Burnett, Pearl Buck and Anthony Powell.
- John Spurling — John Spurling (born 1936) is a Kenyan-born English playwright, novelist and art critic who won the 2015 Walter Scott Prize for The Ten Thousand Things.
- R. G. Spurling — Richard Green Spurling (1858–1935) was an American minister and a founder of the Christian Union movement in Tennessee, from which the Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee) grew.
- Roy Glenwood Spurling — Roy Glenwood Spurling (1894–1968) was an American neurosurgeon who described the Spurling test for cervical nerve-root compression and led U.S. Army neurosurgery in World War II.
- Dudley Spurling — Sir Dudley Spurling (1913–1986) was a Bermudian lawyer, 1936 Olympic swimmer and Speaker of the House of Assembly of Bermuda (1972–76).
- Andrew Barclay Spurling — Andrew Barclay Spurling (1833–1906) was a Union cavalry officer from Maine who received the Medal of Honor for capturing three Confederate soldiers near Evergreen, Alabama, in 1865.
- Jack Spurling — Jack Spurling (1870–1933) was an English marine painter known for his paintings of clipper ships and his covers for The Blue Peter magazine.
- Chris Spurling — Chris Spurling (born 1977) is an American former Major League Baseball relief pitcher who played for the Detroit Tigers and Milwaukee Brewers from 2003 to 2007.
- Ryan Spurling — Ryan Spurling is the elected sheriff of Mason County, Washington, the 41st in the office's history, after a 25-year career with the Washington State Patrol.
Entries added in September 2026 cover more Spurlings, most of them from outside the United States.[31]
- Arthur Spurling — Arthur Rowe Spurling (1896–1984) was a Bermudian First World War flying ace with six victories and the Distinguished Flying Cross.[32]
- Claribel Spurling — Claribel Spurling (1875–1941) was an English headmistress and First World War codebreaker.[33]
- Sir John Spurling — Sir John Spurling (born 1939) is a British pet-insurance businessman who was appointed KCVO in 2012.[34]
- Bell & Spurling — an English comedy-music duo whose single "Sven, Sven, Sven" entered the UK chart at No. 7 in 2001.[35]
- Greg Spurling — Greg Spurling is an American former college basketball center whom the Phoenix Suns drafted in 1986; he never played in an NBA game.[36]
- Family and group entries: Spurlings of Bermuda, the family of the parliamentarian Sir Stanley Spurling, Sir Dudley Spurling and Sir Stanley's nephew Arthur Rowe Spurling[37]; Spurling photographers of Tasmania, four photographers across three generations, including the wilderness photographer Stephen Spurling III (1876–1962)[38]; and Spurling athletes in Britain and Australia, covering rugby players, Australian rules footballers and rowers.
Other people with coverage
Several other Spurlins show up in sports databases and election records but have too little verified material for full articles. They include minor league and college baseball players on Baseball-Reference[39], college football players on Sports-Reference[40], and candidates listed on Ballotpedia[27]. Wikipedia also has an article on the ghost town of Spurlin, Texas, in Hamilton County.[41]
Roundups
People are also grouped by field in Spurlins in public service, Spurlins in sports, Spurlins in athletic halls of fame, Spurlins in music, Spurlins on stage, Spurlins in film and television, Spurlins in broadcasting, Spurlins in media and journalism, Spurlins in academia and science, Spurlin clergy and ministries, Spurlins in the World Wars and Books by Spurlin authors.
See also
- Mary Jane Spurlin · People strong
Mary Jane Spurlin (1883–1970) was a lawyer who became Oregon's first woman judge in 1926 when appointed to the Multnomah County District Court. - Linda Spurlin · People strong
Linda S. Spurlin is the Alaskan breeder who developed the Alaskan Klee Kai, a small husky-type dog breed, from the 1970s onward. She applied to trademark the name Klee Kai in 1991. - William J. Spurlin · People strong
William J. Spurlin (born 1954) is an American-born literary scholar, Professor Emeritus of English and Comparative Literature at Brunel University London, known for work in queer and postcolonial studies. He is a different person from the recording artist William Spurlin and, apparently, from the Boston broadcast engineer Bill Spurlin. - Corey Spurlin · People mixed
Corey Spurlin is an American conductor and music educator who has directed the Auburn University Marching Band since 2007. He was briefly a finalist for the Ohio State marching band post in 2015. - Tommy Spurlin · People strong
Tommy Spurlin (1928–2005) was an American country and rockabilly singer best known for the 1956 single "Hang Loose (I've Gotta Rock)" with his Southern Boys. - Jeremy Spurlin · People strong
Jeremy Spurlin is an American guitarist listed as lead guitarist of the Christian metal band Disciple from 2001 to 2005. - Ashley Spurlin · People strong
Ashley Spurlin is a U.S. Air Force combat controller and Bronze Star recipient who competed on season 2 of History Channel's Top Shot (2011). - Pearce Spurlin III · People strong
Pearce Spurlin III is an American college football tight end, a four-star Georgia signee whose career was halted by a heart condition in 2024 before he returned with Colorado State in 2026. - Tyler Spurlin · People strong
Tyler Spurlin (born 1991) is an American former minor league relief pitcher from Rice University who signed with the Milwaukee Brewers as a free agent in 2013 and pitched in their system through 2019, reaching Double-A Biloxi. - Jimmy Spurlin · People strong
James Kenneth "Jimmy" Spurlin Sr. (1935–2006) was a coach, banker and local official in Tifton, Georgia, who chaired the Tift County Commission and was honored by the Tift County (2016) and ABAC (class of 2022) athletic halls of fame. - Bert Spurlin (assistant director) · People strong
Bert Spurlin (1899–1957) was a Kentucky-born Hollywood property man and assistant director. He is credited on films from the 1930s to the 1950s and on 88 episodes of the television comedy Our Miss Brooks. - Virgil Spurlin (band director) · People strong
Virgil Spurlin was the band director at Hot Springs High School in Arkansas when Bill Clinton was a student there. Clinton publicly credited him several times as one of the music teachers who shaped him. - J. T. Spurlin (Baptist pastor) · People strong
Dr. J. T. Spurlin (1908–2000) was a Southern Baptist pastor from Kentucky. He organized the First Baptist Church of Juneau, Alaska, in 1946 and presided over the first annual sessions of the Alaska Baptist Convention. - Kathleen Spurlin (prison chaplain) · People strong
Sister Kathleen Spurlin, BVM (1925–2023), was a Minnesota-born Catholic sister and teacher who became senior chaplain at the South Mississippi Correctional Institution near Leakesville. - Robert E. Spurlin (Kentucky utility regulator) · People strong
Robert E. Spurlin, a lawyer from Richmond, Kentucky, served on the Kentucky Public Service Commission from 1972 to 1976 and again from 2001 to 2004, and directed the state's workers' compensation Special Fund in the 1990s. - Robert Parker Spurlin (Berryville dentist) · People mixed
Dr. Robert Parker Spurlin (1879–1948) was a Kentucky-born dentist who practised in Berryville, Arkansas, from 1903 and served on its town council. His son, Dr. R. P. Spurlin Jr. (1914–1993), was appointed in 1940 as director of the Arkansas State Board of Health's newly budgeted dental-hygiene sub-division. - Hilary Spurling (Spurling variant) · People strong
Hilary Spurling (born 1940) is an English biographer known for her two-volume life of Henri Matisse and biographies of Ivy Compton-Burnett, Pearl Buck and Anthony Powell. - John Spurling (Spurling variant) · People strong
John Spurling (born 1936) is a Kenyan-born English playwright, novelist and art critic who won the 2015 Walter Scott Prize for The Ten Thousand Things. - R. G. Spurling (Spurling variant) · People strong
Richard Green Spurling (1858–1935) was an American minister and a founder of the Christian Union movement in Tennessee, from which the Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee) grew. - Roy Glenwood Spurling (Spurling variant) · People strong
Roy Glenwood Spurling (1894–1968) was an American neurosurgeon who described the Spurling test for cervical nerve-root compression and led U.S. Army neurosurgery in World War II. - Dudley Spurling (Spurling variant) · People strong
Sir Dudley Spurling (1913–1986) was a Bermudian lawyer, 1936 Olympic swimmer, 1934 Empire Games discus thrower and Speaker of the House of Assembly of Bermuda (1972–76). He was a founding partner of the law firm now called Appleby. - Andrew Barclay Spurling (Spurling variant) · People mixed
Andrew Barclay Spurling (1833–1906) was a Union cavalry officer from the Cranberry Isles, Maine, and a brevet brigadier general. He received the Medal of Honor for capturing Confederate soldiers near Evergreen, Alabama, in 1865, and is buried in Rosehill Cemetery, Chicago. - Jack Spurling (Spurling variant) · People strong
Jack Spurling (1870–1933) was an English marine painter known for his paintings of clipper ships and his covers for The Blue Peter magazine. - Chris Spurling (Spurling variant) · People strong
Chris Spurling (born 1977) is an American former Major League Baseball relief pitcher who played for the Detroit Tigers and Milwaukee Brewers from 2003 to 2007. - Ryan Spurling (Spurling variant) · People strong
Ryan Spurling is the elected sheriff of Mason County, Washington, the 41st in the office's history. He ran for the office in 2022 after a 25-year career with the Washington State Patrol and is a candidate for re-election in 2026. - Arthur Spurling (Spurling variant) · People strong
Arthur Rowe Spurling (1896–1984) was a Bermudian infantryman and airman who became a First World War flying ace with six credited victories. He won the Distinguished Flying Cross for a 1918 action in which he and his observer fought their way through a formation of about thirty German fighters. - Claribel Spurling (Spurling variant) · People strong
Claribel Spurling (1875–1941) was an English history teacher and headmistress who became a First World War codebreaker with British military intelligence (MI1(b)). She was the only candidate to score 100% on its supposedly impossible entrance test, and later worked for the Government Code and Cypher School. - Sir John Spurling (Spurling variant) · People strong
Sir John Spurling (born 1939) is a British businessman who built up the pet insurer Pet Protect and founded PetPartners. He was appointed OBE in 2000 and KCVO in 2012 for charitable services. - Bell & Spurling (Spurling variant) · People strong
Bell & Spurling are an English comedy-music duo, Martin Bell and Johnny Spurling. They are best known for the 2001 football novelty single "Sven, Sven, Sven", which entered the UK Singles Chart at number seven. - Spurlings of Bermuda (variant spelling) · Genealogy strong
In Bermuda the name is spelled Spurling, and Forebears ranks it the island's 202nd most common surname. Bermudian Spurlings have included the banker and parliamentarian Sir Stanley Spurling (1879–1961), his son Sir Dudley Spurling, Speaker of the House of Assembly, and his nephew Arthur Rowe Spurling, a First World War flying ace. - Spurling photographers of Tasmania (variant spelling) · People strong
Four members of the Spurling family, across three generations, worked as photographers in Tasmania from the mid-19th century until 1941. Stephen Spurling II (1847–1924) ran a leading Launceston studio. His son Stephen Spurling III (1876–1962) pioneered Tasmanian wilderness photography, and Tasmania's Mount Spurling bears the family name. - Chris Spurlin (Oxford, Alabama) · People strong
Chris Spurlin is a Baptist pastor and former police officer who has served on the Oxford, Alabama, city council since 2008. He holds the Place 4 seat and is council president. - Daniel R. Spurlin (Vietnam War) · History strong
First Lieutenant Daniel Raymond Spurlin (1942–1968) of Atlanta was a U.S. Army adviser with MACV Advisory Team 92. He was killed by small-arms fire in Go Cong Province, South Vietnam, on September 19, 1968, and is buried in Sandy Springs, Georgia. - David Spurlin (painter) · People weak
David Spurlin Jr. (1923–2009) was a Los Angeles-born impressionist landscape and seascape painter and member of the California Art Club whose oils appear at regional auctions. - Dillon Spurlin (musician) · People mixed
Dillon Spurlin is a self-produced singer-songwriter from Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, who records and performs as "Spurlin" and released the album Hard Way in 2024. He has also played leading roles in Fargo–Moorhead musical theatre. - Emily Spurlin (pastry chef) · People strong
Emily Spurlin is a Chicago pastry chef who was a James Beard Award semifinalist for Outstanding Pastry Chef. She founded the pastry business sourbittersalty and has a sizeable following on Instagram. - Paul Merrill Spurlin · People strong
Paul Merrill Spurlin (1902–1994) was an American scholar of French literature who taught at the University of Michigan and wrote on how the French Enlightenment was received in America, including Montesquieu in America (1940) and Rousseau in America (1969). - Sam Spurlin (organizational designer) · People mixed
Sam Spurlin is an organizational-design consultant and writer. He was the first employee of The Ready, co-hosts the podcast At Work with The Ready, and founded the work-design practice Deliberate Works. - Spurlins in music · Culture strong
A roundup of musicians and music credits under the Spurlin name, from 1950s rockabilly and small-label country 45s to a 1980s soul single, jazz sidemen, a Christian metal guitarist, Bill Clinton's high-school band director, a university marching band director, a record-company sales representative and present-day streaming artists. - Spurlins in public service · People strong
A roundup of people surnamed Spurlin (and, separately, Spurling) in government, politics, the military and the courts, from a 19th-century Indiana sheriff to a Kentucky utility commissioner and recent local candidates, with links to the individual articles. - Spurlins in sports · Culture strong
An overview of people surnamed Spurlin in sports: college and minor league baseball, college football, wrestling, softball and basketball coaching, with links to each article and a note of the professional leagues and databases searched.
References
- ↑ French Enlightenment in America — Digital Library of Georgia Reference
- ↑ Paul Merrill Spurlin (1902–1994) — Find a Grave Memorial 249431941 — died 24 January 1994 Genealogy
- ↑ US2207076A — Google Patents Reference
- ↑ Harold M. Spurlin (1905–1992) — Find a Grave Memorial 87086030 Genealogy
- ↑ Charles Dennis Spurlin obituary (Colonial Funeral Home, Victoria, TX) — Dignity Memorial Genealogy
- ↑ Inventor search "William V Spurlin", United States — Google Patents — 35 US results when retrieved 2026-09-24 Reference
- ↑ The Dwaine Spurlin Band — official website Official
- ↑ Bert Spurlin — IMDb — Birth and death dates and places; 'Albert Spurlin' alias; 22 assistant-director credits and one props credit Reference
- ↑ Remarks at the VH1 Concert of the Century, October 23, 1999 — Public Papers of the Presidents: William J. Clinton (1999, Book II), p. 1871 — GovInfo Government
- ↑ WBCN Transmitter (Scott Fybush, May 17, 2011) — Boston-Radio-Interest mailing list — calls Spurlin WBCN's chief engineer in 1971-72 Social
- ↑ dB magazine, November/December 1985 ("WGBH-FM: Host To A First", by William Spurlin and John Voci) — World Radio History — pp. 12–16; Spurlin identified as WGBH-FM engineer in charge of maintenance and transmission (the contents page credits "Jim Voci") News
- ↑ Interview with Wendy Spurlin — ArmLin House Official
- ↑ Hopkinsville Kentuckian, 2 November 1909, image 1 ("Bro. Spurlin Called Above") — Chronicling America, Library of Congress News
- ↑ Index to Churches in Christian County: Second Baptist and Sinking Fork Baptist — Christian County, Kentucky genealogy site (ctssites.com) — Second Baptist's list of ordained ministers; Sinking Fork history with 1949 update Genealogy
- ↑ History — First Baptist Church Juneau — list of pastors since 1946 Official
- ↑ Book of Reports, 77th Annual Meeting (2022), "Historical Table", p. 106 — Alaska Baptist Resource Network — officers and preachers of each annual session since 1946 Official
- ↑ Rev James M. Spurlin (1802–1887) — Find a Grave Memorial — Antioch Baptist Church Cemetery, Woolsey, Fayette County, Georgia; biography and family links Genealogy
- ↑ Rev William Dexter Spurlin (1860–1935) — Find a Grave Memorial — transcribes a biography from the World's Fair issue of the Monroe (La.) Evening News, 15 May 1893 Genealogy
- ↑ Rev James Clinton "Clint" Spurlin (1890–1984) — Find a Grave Memorial — transcribes his obituary from the Galax Gazette, 18 January 1984 Genealogy
- ↑ Sister Kathleen (Bernardone) Spurlin, BVM — obituary, Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (29 August 2023) Official
- ↑ Bob Spurlin — Goodreads Social
- ↑ Chris Spurlin — City of Oxford, Alabama (official biography) Government
- ↑ 1LT Daniel Raymond Spurlin, Atlanta, GA — The Virtual Wall (VirtualWall.org) Reference
- ↑ Honoring Frances Spurlin for Her Service to Alabama's Second Congressional District — Congressional Record, Dec. 9, 2013, p. E1809 Government
- ↑ Kentucky Public Service Commission Biennial Report, July 1, 1999 – June 30, 2001 — Commissioner biography: appointment effective Aug. 1, 2001; earlier term 1972–1976; career Government
- ↑ Kentucky Public Service Commission Biennial Report, July 2003 – June 2005 — Lists "Robert C. Spurlin (2003-2004)" among commissioners who served during the biennium Government
- ↑ ↑ Don Spurlin — Ballotpedia — 2010 Alabama State Senate candidate Reference
- ↑ Patman, John William Wright — Handbook of Texas Online (Texas State Historical Association) Reference
- ↑ Robert Parker Spurlin Sr. (1879–1948) — Find a Grave Memorial 126577295 Genealogy
- ↑ Max Spurlin Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College — Pro Football Archives — Full name, birth and death dates, schools, UNC letter years, Navy service, 1949 Charlotte Clippers transactions Reference
- ↑ Spurling (surname list) — Wikipedia Reference
- ↑ Arthur Rowe Spurling — The Aerodrome — Birth and death details, Royal Aero Club certificate, DFC citation (London Gazette 30989/12973), list of six victories Reference
- ↑ Claribel Spurling — Wikipedia Reference
- ↑ John Spurling (businessman) — Wikipedia — Career, charity roles, KCVO 2012 (citing Who's Who, The Telegraph and The London Gazette) Reference
- ↑ Jacko set to scupper Sven — BBC Sport, Funny Old Game (10 October 2001) — Highest new entry at No 7; Top of the Pops; interview with Martin Bell News
- ↑ Greg Spurling Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft Status and more — Basketball-Reference.com — Birthplace, height and weight, colleges, draft, Furman 1982–83 stats and NBA transactions Reference
- ↑ Hero's medals up for auction — The Royal Gazette (8 August 2009) — Rick Spurling on his grandfather, parliamentarian Sir Stanley Spurling, uncle of Arthur Rowe Spurling; read via Internet Archive snapshot, 2016-03-03 News
- ↑ Spurling, Stephen (1876–1962) — Obituaries Australia, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University Reference
- ↑ John Spurlin Minor Leagues Statistics — Baseball-Reference.com (register page) Reference
- ↑ Caleb Spurlin College Stats — Sports-Reference.com Reference
- ↑ Spurlin, Texas — Wikipedia Reference
Last reviewed 2026-09-24.