indicate the level to which a name has been verified.
Meaning & History
From a medieval nickname for someone who spread their amorous affections around freely. A different form of the surname was borne by Dora Spenlow, the eponymous hero's "child-wife" in Charles Dickens's 'David Copperfield' (1849-50).(Source: 'Encyclopedia of Surnames' (2007) by John Ayto)