Find out how popular the last name Brownfield is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Brownfield.

Brownfield, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Brownfield surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Brownfield in America

Brownfield is the 8153rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Brownfield surname appeared 4,067 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Brownfield.

We can also compare 2010 data for Brownfield to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Brownfield

The surname Brownfield is of English origin, derived from a geographic location or place name. The name can be traced back to the late 12th century in the county of Yorkshire, England. It is believed to have originated from the Old English words "brun" meaning brown or dark and "feld" meaning field or open land.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Brownfield can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire, dated 1195. These ancient tax records list a "Willelmus de Brunfeld" as a landowner in the region. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who owned or resided near a brownfield, likely a plot of land with a distinct brown or dark soil.

The Brownfield surname is also mentioned in the Valor Ecclesiasticus, a survey of ecclesiastical revenues conducted in 1535 during the reign of Henry VIII. This document lists a "Thomas Brownfield" as a clerk in the diocese of York, indicating that the name had spread beyond its initial geographic origin.

In the 17th century, the Brownfield name appeared in various parish records across northern England, particularly in Yorkshire and Lancashire. Notable individuals from this era include John Brownfield (1602-1669), a clergyman and author who served as the Rector of Kirton in Lincolnshire.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, the Brownfield surname continued to be prominent in England. One notable figure was William Brownfield (1767-1842), a mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics.

As the British Empire expanded, the Brownfield name traveled to other parts of the world. In the 19th century, several individuals bearing this surname immigrated to North America and other British colonies. For example, Joseph Brownfield (1815-1898) was a pioneering settler in Ontario, Canada, who established a successful farming community in the region.

Other notable individuals with the Brownfield surname include:

1. Robert Brownfield (1898-1968), an American journalist and author known for his work on civil rights and social justice issues.
2. Margaret Brownfield (1920-2008), a British actress and television presenter who had a long and successful career in the entertainment industry.
3. Edward Brownfield (1942-2020), an American jurist who served as a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
4. Richard Brownfield (born 1954), a career diplomat and former Ambassador of the United States to Venezuela and Colombia.
5. David Brownfield (born 1967), a British entrepreneur and technology executive who co-founded several successful software companies.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Brownfield

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Brownfield.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Brownfield was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Brownfield has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Brownfield was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Brownfield, please contact us.

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