2000
#14,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,865
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.69
Rare Last name
Brassfield
A locational surname derived from a place name referring to someone from Brassfield, Derbyshire.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,172 Americans carry the last name Brassfield. That puts it at #14,982 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 157,806 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brassfield 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
2.2K
1 in 157,806
Census rank
#14,982
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,894 bearers of the surname Brassfield in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14982nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brassfield, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.1%. The next largest groups are Black (13.9%) and Two or More Races (5.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brassfield
The surname Brassfield is believed to have originated in England, likely during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from a place name referring to a field or area where brass was once mined or processed.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Brasfeld". This suggests that the name was already established in certain parts of England by the late 11th century.
The name may be linked to the Old English words "bræs" (meaning brass) and "feld" (field), indicating a connection to the brass industry of that era. Alternatively, it could also be a combination of the Old English words "brædd" (meaning broad) and "feld", potentially referring to a broad field or clearing.
By the 13th century, variations such as "Brasfeld" and "Brassfeld" started appearing in various records and documents, reflecting the evolution of the spelling over time.
One notable individual with this surname was Sir John Brassfield (c. 1480-1554), a wealthy English merchant and landowner who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1535. Another was William Brassfield (1592-1667), a prominent Puritan clergyman and author during the English Civil War era.
In the 17th century, the name appears in connection with various place names, such as "Brassfield Park" in Warwickshire and "Brassfield Manor" in Gloucestershire, suggesting that some branches of the family may have held land or estates in these areas.
Other notable figures include Thomas Brassfield (1705-1776), an English playwright and poet, and Sarah Brassfield (1792-1868), a pioneering educator and advocate for women's education in the United States.
Throughout its history, the surname Brassfield has maintained a distinct presence, particularly in England, and has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including merchants, clergy, writers, and landowners.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brassfield
Among Census respondents with the surname Brassfield, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.1%. The next largest groups are Black (13.9%) and Two or More Races (5.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Brassfield 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 Brassfield surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.1% · 1,403
- Black or African American13.9% · 264
- Two or more races5.8% · 110
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 66
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.2% · 42
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brassfield
Brassfield 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
#15,687
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,860
-5 bearers (-0.3%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Down 1,059 places
2020
#14,982
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,894
+34 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Up 705 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,628 | 1,865 | 0.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,687 | 1,860 | 0.63 | -5 bearers (-0.3%) | Down 1,059 places |
| 2020 | #14,982 | 1,894 | 0.63 | +34 bearers (+1.8%) | Up 705 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 Brassfield 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 | #15,687 | #14,982 | 4.5% |
| Count | 1,860 | 1,894 | 1.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.63 | 0.63 | 0.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brassfield bearers went from 1,860 to 1,894 (+1.8% change). The surname moved up 705 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,687 to #14,982.
FAQ
Brassfield surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brassfield?
Name Census estimates that about 2,172 living Americans carry the surname Brassfield. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 157,806 residents.
How common is Brassfield?
Brassfield ranks #14,982 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.63 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 1,894 people with the surname Brassfield. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,172), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.63 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 Brassfield.
Has Brassfield become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brassfield went from 1,860 recorded bearers to 1,894. That is an increase of 34 (+1.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,687 to #14,982.
What does the Census say about the background of Brassfield?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brassfield, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.1%. The next largest groups are Black (13.9%) and Two or More Races (5.8%). 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 Brassfield in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.1% (1,403 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brassfield appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.1%), Black (13.9%), Two or More Races (5.8%). 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 Brassfield (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 Brassfield mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name referring to someone from Brassfield, Derbyshire. 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 Brassfield (0.63 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 common is the surname Brassfield?
You can see how many people have the last name Brassfield on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.