2000
#12,487
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,279
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.84
Rare Last name
Banfield
A locational surname referring to someone from any of various places called Banfield, likely derived from Old English bēan-feld, meaning "bean field."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,743 Americans carry the last name Banfield. That puts it at #12,399 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 124,956 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Banfield surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Banfield with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.7K
1 in 124,956
Census rank
#12,399
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,392 bearers of the surname Banfield in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12399th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Banfield, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.8%. The next largest groups are Black (12.1%) and Hispanic (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Banfield
Among Census respondents with the surname Banfield, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.8%. The next largest groups are Black (12.1%) and Hispanic (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Banfield bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Banfield surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.8% · 1,860
- Black or African American12.1% · 290
- Hispanic or Latino4.9% · 117
- Two or more races4.4% · 105
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Banfield
Banfield appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#12,397
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,508
+229 bearers (+10.0%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Up 90 places
2020
#12,399
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,392
-116 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Down 2 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,487 | 2,279 | 0.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,397 | 2,508 | 0.85 | +229 bearers (+10.0%) | Up 90 places |
| 2020 | #12,399 | 2,392 | 0.80 | -116 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 2 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Banfield surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #12,397 | #12,399 | -0.0% |
| Count | 2,508 | 2,392 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.85 | 0.80 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Banfield bearers went from 2,508 to 2,392 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 2 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,397 to #12,399.
FAQ
Banfield surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Banfield?
Name Census estimates that about 2,743 living Americans carry the surname Banfield. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 124,956 residents.
How common is Banfield?
Banfield ranks #12,399 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.80 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,392 people with the surname Banfield. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,743), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.80 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Banfield.
Has Banfield become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Banfield went from 2,508 recorded bearers to 2,392. That is a decrease of 116 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,397 to #12,399.
What does the Census say about the background of Banfield?
Among Census respondents with the surname Banfield, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.8%. The next largest groups are Black (12.1%) and Hispanic (4.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Banfield in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.8% (1,860 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Banfield appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.8%), Black (12.1%), Hispanic (4.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Banfield (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Banfield mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from any of various places called Banfield, likely derived from Old English bēan-feld, meaning "bean field." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Banfield (0.80 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Banfield?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Banfield? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.