2000
#142,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Borgfeld
A German surname derived from a place name meaning "fortified village or town".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Borgfeld. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Borgfeld 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Borgfeld in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Borgfeld, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.5%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Borgfeld
The surname BORGFELD has its origins in northern Germany, particularly in the region of Lower Saxony. It is believed to have emerged in the early medieval period, around the 11th or 12th century. The name is derived from the Germanic words "burg," meaning a fortified town or castle, and "feld," meaning a field or open area.
The earliest known reference to the BORGFELD name can be traced back to a document from the year 1203, which mentions a person named "Theodoricus de Borgfelde." This suggests that the name was originally associated with a place called Borgfeld, likely a small settlement or village located near a fortified town or castle surrounded by open fields.
In the 13th century, a record from the city of Bremen mentions a "Johannes de Borgvelde," indicating that the name had spread to the nearby city. Over the following centuries, the BORGFELD name appeared in various historical records and documents across northern Germany, with slight variations in spelling, such as Borgvelde, Borgfelt, and Borgfeldt.
One notable person with the BORGFELD surname was Johann Heinrich Borgfeld (1703-1786), a German theologian and author who wrote several religious texts and served as a pastor in the town of Verden. Another prominent figure was Friedrich Wilhelm Borgfeld (1805-1875), a German businessman and industrialist who established a successful textile manufacturing company in the city of Delmenhorst.
In the 19th century, the BORGFELD surname was also found in the United States, likely due to German immigration. One example is Jacob Borgfeld (1828-1905), a German-American farmer and businessman who settled in Illinois and became a prominent figure in the local community.
Other notable individuals with the BORGFELD surname include:
1. Georg Borgfeld (1884-1957), a German artist known for his landscape paintings and illustrations.
2. Hans Borgfeld (1915-1992), a German military officer who served in World War II and later became a writer and historian.
3. Katharina Borgfeld (1932-2018), a German actress and theater director who had a long career in both film and stage productions.
4. Michael Borgfeld (born 1965), a contemporary German author and journalist who has written several novels and non-fiction works.
5. Elke Borgfeld (born 1972), a German athlete who competed in shot put and discus throw events and won multiple medals in international competitions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Borgfeld
Among Census respondents with the surname Borgfeld, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.5%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Borgfeld 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 Borgfeld surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.8% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino7.5% · 8
- Two or more races2.8% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Borgfeld
Borgfeld 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
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,713 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 107 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #142,819 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 8,713 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 107 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 Borgfeld 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 | #151,532 | #151,639 | -0.1% |
| Count | 108 | 107 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Borgfeld bearers went from 108 to 107 (-0.9% change). The surname moved down 107 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #151,639.
FAQ
Borgfeld surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Borgfeld?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Borgfeld. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Borgfeld?
Borgfeld ranks #151,639 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 107 people with the surname Borgfeld. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), 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 Borgfeld.
Has Borgfeld become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Borgfeld went from 108 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #151,532 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Borgfeld?
Among Census respondents with the surname Borgfeld, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.5%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Borgfeld in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.8% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Borgfeld appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.8%), Hispanic (7.5%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Borgfeld (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 Borgfeld mean?
A German surname derived from a place name meaning "fortified village or town". 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 Borgfeld (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 are called Borgfeld?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Borgfeld on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.