2000
#7,393
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,157
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.54
Rare Last name
Bradfield
A locational surname referring to someone from any of the various places called Bradfield in England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,690 Americans carry the last name Bradfield. That puts it at #7,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.37 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 73,082 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bradfield 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 Bradfield with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.7K
1 in 73,082
Census rank
#7,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,090 bearers of the surname Bradfield in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.37 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bradfield, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.4%. The next largest groups are Black (11.2%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bradfield
The surname Bradfield is of English origin and dates back to the medieval era. It is a locational name derived from the place name Bradfield, which is found in several counties across England, including Berkshire, Essex, and Yorkshire. The name is believed to have originated from the Old English words "brad" and "feld," meaning "broad field."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Bradfield surname can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it was mentioned as "Bradefeld." This historical document, commissioned by William the Conqueror, served as a comprehensive survey of landholdings and property ownership across England.
In the 13th century, records show a family named Bradfield residing in the village of Bradfield, near Sheffield, Yorkshire. This area is believed to be the epicenter of the surname's origins. The name is also found in various historical documents from this period, including the Pipe Rolls and the Hundred Rolls.
Notable individuals bearing the Bradfield surname throughout history include:
1. Thomas Bradfield (c. 1495 - 1547), an English clergyman and academic who served as the President of Corpus Christi College, Oxford.
2. John Bradfield (1604 - 1659), an English clergyman and author known for his work "The Resolving of Conscience upon this Question: Whether the King or Parliament Ought to be Obeyed in Case of a Contrary Command."
3. Robert Holgate Bradfield (1758 - 1833), an English architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in London, including the East India College in Hertford.
4. John Bradfield (1801 - 1876), a British civil engineer responsible for the construction of the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge in Australia.
5. John Philip Bradfield (1868 - 1942), an English-born Canadian politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.
It's worth noting that the Bradfield surname has also been associated with various place names across England, such as Bradfield St. George in Suffolk, Bradfield St. Clare in Suffolk, and Bradfield Combust in Suffolk, among others. These place names likely contributed to the formation and spread of the surname throughout different regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bradfield
Among Census respondents with the surname Bradfield, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.4%. The next largest groups are Black (11.2%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Bradfield 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 Bradfield surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.4% · 3,248
- Black or African American11.2% · 458
- Two or more races4.3% · 175
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 137
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 41
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 31
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bradfield
Bradfield 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
#7,743
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,288
+131 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 1.45
Rank movement Down 350 places
2020
#7,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,090
-198 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 1.37
Rank movement Down 45 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,393 | 4,157 | 1.54 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,743 | 4,288 | 1.45 | +131 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 350 places |
| 2020 | #7,788 | 4,090 | 1.37 | -198 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 45 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 Bradfield 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 | #7,743 | #7,788 | -0.6% |
| Count | 4,288 | 4,090 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.45 | 1.37 | -5.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bradfield bearers went from 4,288 to 4,090 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 45 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,743 to #7,788.
FAQ
Bradfield surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bradfield?
Name Census estimates that about 4,690 living Americans carry the surname Bradfield. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 73,082 residents.
How common is Bradfield?
Bradfield ranks #7,788 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.37 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 4,090 people with the surname Bradfield. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,690), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.37 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.37 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 Bradfield.
Has Bradfield become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bradfield went from 4,288 recorded bearers to 4,090. That is a decrease of 198 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,743 to #7,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Bradfield?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bradfield, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.4%. The next largest groups are Black (11.2%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Bradfield in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.4% (3,248 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bradfield appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.4%), Black (11.2%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Bradfield (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 Bradfield mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from any of the various places called Bradfield in England. 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 Bradfield (1.37 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 Bradfield?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Bradfield, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.