2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bartfield
A topographic surname derived from a location characterized by a field or pasture.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Bartfield. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bartfield 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.
Bearers in the US
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Bartfield in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bartfield, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) and Black (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bartfield
The surname Bartfield is believed to have originated in England, with its earliest documented use dating back to the 13th century. The name is derived from the Old English words "bær" meaning "bear" and "feld" meaning "field," suggesting a connection to a location or settlement near a bear-inhabited field or meadow.
One of the earliest known references to the Bartfield name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire from 1273, where it appears as "Bartholomew de Berfeld." This record indicates the surname's association with a place called Berfeld, which may have been a location within the county of Bedfordshire or a nearby region.
In the late 14th century, the Bartfield surname appeared in the Subsidy Rolls of Huntingdonshire, where it was recorded as "John Bartfeld" in 1379. This suggests that the name had spread to other parts of England by that time.
One notable bearer of the Bartfield surname was Sir William Bartfield (1540-1612), a prominent English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Middlesex during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. He was also appointed as a Justice of the Peace for the county of Middlesex.
Another historical figure with the Bartfield name was Thomas Bartfield (1670-1735), an English clergyman and author who served as the rector of Stoke Climsland in Cornwall. He is known for his work "A Treatise on the Immortality of the Soul," published in 1711.
During the 17th century, the Bartfield surname was also found in the parish records of Wiltshire, where a family with this name resided in the village of Chitterne. One member of this family, John Bartfield (1625-1689), was a prominent landowner and farmer in the area.
In the 18th century, the Bartfield surname appeared in the records of the East India Company, where a man named Edward Bartfield (1728-1786) served as a captain in the company's maritime fleet. He was involved in several voyages to India and the Far East during his career.
Another notable figure with the Bartfield surname was Sarah Bartfield (1790-1867), an English novelist and poet who was born in Gloucestershire. She gained recognition for her works, including the novel "The Orphan of the Abbey" and a collection of poems titled "Poetic Effusions."
While the Bartfield surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and immigration. However, its earliest documented origins and historical references can be traced back to various regions of England, particularly in the counties of Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, Middlesex, Cornwall, Wiltshire, and Gloucestershire.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bartfield
Among Census respondents with the surname Bartfield, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) and Black (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Bartfield 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 Bartfield surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.4% · 88
- Hispanic or Latino6.8% · 7
- Black or African American2.9% · 3
- Two or more races2.9% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bartfield
Bartfield 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
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-6 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,166 places
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-2 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 725 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 16,166 places |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -2 bearers (-1.9%) | Up 725 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 Bartfield 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 | #154,907 | #154,182 | 0.5% |
| Count | 105 | 103 | -1.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bartfield bearers went from 105 to 103 (-1.9% change). The surname moved up 725 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #154,182.
FAQ
Bartfield surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bartfield?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Bartfield. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Bartfield?
Bartfield ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 103 people with the surname Bartfield. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Bartfield.
Has Bartfield become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bartfield went from 105 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Bartfield?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bartfield, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) and Black (2.9%). 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 Bartfield in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.4% (88 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bartfield appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.4%), Hispanic (6.8%), Black (2.9%). 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 Bartfield (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 Bartfield mean?
A topographic surname derived from a location characterized by a field or pasture. 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 Bartfield (0.03 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 are called Bartfield?
If you just want to know how common the surname Bartfield is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.