2000
#6,017
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,264
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.95
Rare Last name
Benfield
A locational surname derived from places in Hertfordshire and Somerset, England, likely referring to a bean field.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,059 Americans carry the last name Benfield. That puts it at #7,286 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.48 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 67,751 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Benfield 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 Benfield with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.1K
1 in 67,751
Census rank
#7,286
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,412 bearers of the surname Benfield in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.48 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7286th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Benfield, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Black (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Benfield
The surname Benfield originated in England, emerging in the 13th century. It is a locational name, deriving from the Old English words "bene" meaning bean and "feld" meaning field or open area. This suggests the name initially referred to an area where beans were cultivated or harvested.
Early recordings of the name include Robert de Benefeld in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273. In Norfolk, Robert Benefeld is mentioned in the Feet of Fines records for 1311. Other spellings from antiquity include Benyfeld, Benefeild, and Benfeild.
The Domesday Book, the comprehensive survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname Benfield. However, it does mention several place names that may have contributed to the formation of the surname over time, such as Benefeld in Berkshire and Beneworth in Gloucestershire.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname was Sir Thomas Benfield (c. 1370-1445), a prominent English landowner and Member of Parliament for Berkshire during the reign of Henry VI. Another notable figure was Richard Benfield (1512-1564), a wealthy merchant and alderman in the City of London during the Tudor period.
In the 17th century, Sebastian Benfield (1619-1693) was an English clergyman and chaplain to Charles II, known for his sermons and theological writings. A century later, Paul Benfield (1741-1810) was an influential English merchant and politician who amassed a substantial fortune through his involvement in the East India Company.
John Benfield (1768-1843), born in Berkshire, was a successful banker and financier in London during the late Georgian era. His son, also named John Benfield (1798-1873), followed in his footsteps and became a prominent figure in the banking industry.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Benfield
Among Census respondents with the surname Benfield, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Black (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Benfield 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 Benfield surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.9% · 4,011
- Two or more races3.7% · 162
- Black or African American2.6% · 116
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 83
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Benfield
Benfield 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
#6,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,138
-126 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 1.74
Rank movement Down 576 places
2020
#7,286
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,412
-726 bearers (-14.1%)
Per 100,000 1.48
Rank movement Down 693 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,017 | 5,264 | 1.95 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,593 | 5,138 | 1.74 | -126 bearers (-2.4%) | Down 576 places |
| 2020 | #7,286 | 4,412 | 1.48 | -726 bearers (-14.1%) | Down 693 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 Benfield 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 | #6,593 | #7,286 | -10.5% |
| Count | 5,138 | 4,412 | -14.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.74 | 1.48 | -15.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Benfield bearers went from 5,138 to 4,412 (-14.1% change). The surname moved down 693 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,593 to #7,286.
FAQ
Benfield surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Benfield?
Name Census estimates that about 5,059 living Americans carry the surname Benfield. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 67,751 residents.
How common is Benfield?
Benfield ranks #7,286 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.48 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 4,412 people with the surname Benfield. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,059), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.48 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.48 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 Benfield.
Has Benfield become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Benfield went from 5,138 recorded bearers to 4,412. That is a decrease of 726 (-14.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,593 to #7,286.
What does the Census say about the background of Benfield?
Among Census respondents with the surname Benfield, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Black (2.6%). 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 Benfield in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.9% (4,011 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Benfield appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.9%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Black (2.6%). 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 Benfield (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 Benfield mean?
A locational surname derived from places in Hertfordshire and Somerset, England, likely referring to a 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 Benfield (1.48 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 Benfield?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Benfield? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.