Battenfield last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Battenfield

A surname possibly derived from a place name and signifying someone from a field of broom plants.

Battenfield, 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 Battenfield surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Battenfield in America

Battenfield is the 37955th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Battenfield surname appeared 585 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Battenfield.

We can also compare 2010 data for Battenfield 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.

20102000Change (%)
Rank37955374291.40%
Count5855604.37%
Proportion per 100k0.200.21-4.88%

The history of the last name Battenfield

The surname Battenfield has its origins in England, tracing back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "bæt" meaning "boat" and "feld" meaning "field," suggesting that the name's earliest bearers may have lived near a field where boats were stored or built.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, which documents a landowner named Batenfeld in the county of Lincolnshire. This suggests that the name had already been established in England by the late 11th century.

During the 13th century, variations of the name, such as Battenfeld and Battenveld, can be found in various county records across England. These spellings reflect the ongoing evolution of the name, as well as regional linguistic differences.

In the 14th century, the name Battenfield began to appear more frequently in historical documents, particularly in the counties of Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, and Norfolk. This suggests that these areas may have been the name's strongholds during this period.

One notable individual bearing the surname Battenfield was Sir John Battenfield, a prominent landowner and military leader who fought in the Wars of the Roses during the late 15th century (c. 1450-1495).

Another significant figure was William Battenfield, a merchant and alderman in the city of London during the 16th century (c. 1520-1589). His successful business ventures and civic involvement contributed to the family's prominence in the capital.

In the 17th century, the Battenfield name continued to be found across various parts of England, with some bearers emigrating to the American colonies. One such individual was Thomas Battenfield, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 and became a prominent landowner and farmer.

During the 18th century, the spelling of the name became more standardized as Battenfield. Notable individuals from this period include Robert Battenfield (1720-1795), a renowned clockmaker in London, and John Battenfield (1745-1812), a wealthy merchant and landowner in Yorkshire.

In the 19th century, the Battenfield name spread further across the English-speaking world, with bearers found in various parts of the British Empire, including Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. One notable figure was Sir Edward Battenfield (1825-1898), a British colonial administrator and diplomat who served in India and South Africa.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Battenfield

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

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 Battenfield was:

Race/EthnicityPercentageTotal Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only86.67%507
Non-Hispanic Black Only(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native5.98%35
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races3.42%20
Hispanic Origin3.25%19

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 Battenfield has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

20102000Change (%)
White86.67%88.75%-2.37%
Black(S)%(S)%(S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander(S)%(S)%(S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native5.98%4.82%21.48%
Two or More Races3.42%3.21%6.33%
Hispanic3.25%2.32%33.39%

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 Battenfield was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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