2000
#142,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bortzfield
A German surname derived from a place name or farm name containing the elements "Bortz" and "Feld".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Bortzfield. 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 Bortzfield 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 Bortzfield 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 Bortzfield, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bortzfield
The surname Bortzfield is of German origin and dates back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated from the region of Hesse, specifically the town of Bortzfeld, which is located near the city of Kassel. The name Bortzfeld itself is derived from the Old High German words "bort," meaning "border," and "feld," meaning "field," suggesting that the name may have been given to someone who lived near a field on the border of a town or village.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bortzfield can be found in the church records of the village of Bortzfeld, where a family by the name of Bortzfeld is mentioned in the year 1572. This family was likely among the first to bear the surname, as it was common for people to take their surnames from the places they lived or originated from during that time period.
In the 17th century, the name Bortzfield began to spread beyond the confines of Hesse as people migrated to other parts of Germany and Europe. One notable individual from this period was Hans Bortzfield, a merchant who lived in the city of Frankfurt from 1645 to 1712. His business dealings and travels helped to further disseminate the name throughout the region.
As the centuries passed, the Bortzfield surname continued to be present in historical records, with variations in spelling such as Bortzfeldt, Bortzfeldt, and Bortzfeldt appearing in different regions. In the 19th century, a man named Johann Bortzfield (1812-1887) gained recognition as a prominent architect in the city of Berlin, where he designed several notable buildings that still stand today.
Other notable individuals with the surname Bortzfield include Wilhelm Bortzfield (1864-1942), a German philosopher and academic who taught at the University of Heidelberg, and Elise Bortzfield (1901-1985), a renowned opera singer who performed extensively throughout Europe in the early 20th century.
While the name Bortzfield is not as common today as it once was, it remains a part of the rich tapestry of German surnames, reflecting the history and heritage of the regions from which it originated.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bortzfield
Among Census respondents with the surname Bortzfield, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Bortzfield 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 Bortzfield surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.3% · 102
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 3
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bortzfield
Bortzfield 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
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,809 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 989 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 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 9,809 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Up 989 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 Bortzfield 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 | #152,628 | #151,639 | 0.6% |
| Count | 107 | 107 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bortzfield bearers went from 107 to 107 (+0.0% change). The surname moved up 989 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #151,639.
FAQ
Bortzfield surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bortzfield?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Bortzfield. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Bortzfield?
Bortzfield 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 Bortzfield. 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 Bortzfield.
Has Bortzfield become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bortzfield went from 107 recorded bearers to 107. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #152,628 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Bortzfield?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bortzfield, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Bortzfield in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.3% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bortzfield appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.3%), Hispanic (2.8%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Bortzfield (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 Bortzfield mean?
A German surname derived from a place name or farm name containing the elements "Bortz" and "Feld". 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 Bortzfield (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 Bortzfield?
If you just want to know how common the surname Bortzfield is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.