2010
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Beckfield
A locational surname derived from a place name referring to a field or meadow near a brook or stream.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Beckfield. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Beckfield 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Beckfield in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Beckfield, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.6%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Beckfield
The surname BECKFIELD has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is a locational surname, derived from a place name that no longer exists or has been obscured over time. Many locational surnames emerged during the 11th and 12th centuries when it became customary for people to take surnames derived from the name of their birthplace or residence.
One possible origin of the name BECKFIELD could be from the Old English words "bec" meaning a stream or brook, and "feld" meaning a field or open area of land. This suggests that the name may have originated from a settlement near a stream or brook in an open field area. However, the exact location and meaning of the original place name is uncertain.
The earliest known record of the surname BECKFIELD appears in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from the year 1379, where a John de Beckfield is mentioned. This document was a collection of financial records maintained by the English Exchequer during the reign of King Edward III.
Another early reference to the name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk from 1524, which lists a William Beckfield as a taxpayer. This record provides evidence of the surname's presence in different regions of England during the late medieval and early modern periods.
One notable individual with the surname BECKFIELD was Sir Henry Beckfield (1565-1631), a prominent English landowner and Member of Parliament for Bedfordshire in the early 17th century. He was known for his involvement in local affairs and his support for the Church of England.
In the 18th century, a Samuel Beckfield (1720-1789) gained recognition as a successful merchant and philanthropist in the city of Bristol. He made significant contributions to local charities and was involved in the city's civic affairs.
During the 19th century, a prominent figure with the BECKFIELD surname was Elizabeth Beckfield (1815-1890), a British author and journalist who wrote extensively on social and political issues of her time. Her works often focused on the rights of women and the working classes.
Another notable individual was Thomas Beckfield (1845-1923), a British engineer and inventor who contributed to the development of early steam engines and agricultural machinery. He held several patents for his innovations and played a role in the industrial advancements of the Victorian era.
Throughout history, the surname BECKFIELD has been recorded with various spellings, such as Beckfeild, Beckfelde, and Bekfeld, reflecting the fluidity of spelling conventions in earlier times. While the exact origin of the name remains uncertain, it has a rich history spanning several centuries and can be traced back to medieval England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Beckfield
Among Census respondents with the surname Beckfield, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.6%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Beckfield 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 Beckfield surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.5% · 98
- Two or more races11.6% · 13
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Beckfield
Beckfield appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-2 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,734 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.8%) | Down 2,734 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 Beckfield 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 | #145,220 | #147,954 | -1.9% |
| Count | 114 | 112 | -1.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Beckfield bearers went from 114 to 112 (-1.8% change). The surname moved down 2,734 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #147,954.
FAQ
Beckfield surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Beckfield?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Beckfield. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Beckfield?
Beckfield ranks #147,954 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 112 people with the surname Beckfield. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Beckfield.
Has Beckfield become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Beckfield went from 114 recorded bearers to 112. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Beckfield?
Among Census respondents with the surname Beckfield, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.6%) and Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Beckfield in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.5% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Beckfield appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.5%), Two or More Races (11.6%), Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Beckfield (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 Beckfield mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name referring to a field or meadow near a brook or stream. 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 Beckfield (0.04 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 Beckfield?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Beckfield on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.