Find out how popular the last name Banfield is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Banfield.

Banfield, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Banfield surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Banfield in America

Banfield is the 12397th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Banfield surname appeared 2,508 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Banfield.

We can also compare 2010 data for Banfield to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Banfield

The surname Banfield is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "bana" meaning slayer or executioner, and "feld" meaning field or open land. It is believed to have originated in the county of Gloucestershire, England, around the 12th century.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from the year 1194, where a man named Richard de Banefeld is mentioned. This suggests that the name was likely derived from a place name, possibly a location where executions took place or where someone with that occupation lived.

In the 13th century, the surname appears in various forms such as Banefeld, Banfeld, and Banfelde in various records and manuscripts from the county of Gloucestershire and surrounding areas. This variation in spelling was common in those times due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions.

One notable historical figure bearing the surname Banfield was Sir John Banfield (1512-1578), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. He held several important positions, including High Sheriff of Gloucestershire and Custos Rotulorum (keeper of the rolls) for the county.

Another individual of note was Joseph Banfield (1637-1692), an English clergyman and author who served as the rector of Haselbury Plucknett in Somerset. He is known for his work "The Reverend Expositor," a commentary on the Book of Revelation.

In the 17th century, the surname can also be found in records from the county of Somerset, where a family of Banfields owned land and properties. One member of this family, Samuel Banfield (1670-1744), was a prominent landowner and served as High Sheriff of Somerset in 1719.

In the 18th century, the Banfield name appears in various records from the county of Devon, where a branch of the family settled. One notable figure from this time was Thomas Banfield (1745-1821), an English naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars.

Another individual of note was Edward Banfield (1825-1904), an English-born Australian politician and judge. He served as the Attorney-General of South Australia and was later appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court of South Australia.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Banfield

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Banfield.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Banfield was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Banfield has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Banfield was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Banfield, please contact us.

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