2000
#7,640
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,013
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.49
Rare Last name
Brownfield
A descriptive surname referring to someone who lived or worked on land with dark, fertile soil.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,527 Americans carry the last name Brownfield. That puts it at #8,045 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.32 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 75,713 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brownfield 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 Brownfield with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.5K
1 in 75,713
Census rank
#8,045
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,948 bearers of the surname Brownfield in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.32 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8045th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brownfield, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Black (6.7%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brownfield
Among Census respondents with the surname Brownfield, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Black (6.7%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Brownfield 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 Brownfield surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.3% · 3,290
- Black or African American6.7% · 265
- Two or more races5.2% · 207
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 122
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 46
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brownfield
Brownfield 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
#8,153
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,067
+54 bearers (+1.3%)
Per 100,000 1.38
Rank movement Down 513 places
2020
#8,045
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,948
-119 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 1.32
Rank movement Up 108 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,640 | 4,013 | 1.49 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,153 | 4,067 | 1.38 | +54 bearers (+1.3%) | Down 513 places |
| 2020 | #8,045 | 3,948 | 1.32 | -119 bearers (-2.9%) | Up 108 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 Brownfield 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 | #8,153 | #8,045 | 1.3% |
| Count | 4,067 | 3,948 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.38 | 1.32 | -4.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brownfield bearers went from 4,067 to 3,948 (-2.9% change). The surname moved up 108 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,153 to #8,045.
FAQ
Brownfield surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brownfield?
Name Census estimates that about 4,527 living Americans carry the surname Brownfield. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 75,713 residents.
How common is Brownfield?
Brownfield ranks #8,045 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.32 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 3,948 people with the surname Brownfield. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,527), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.32 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.32 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 Brownfield.
Has Brownfield become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brownfield went from 4,067 recorded bearers to 3,948. That is a decrease of 119 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,153 to #8,045.
What does the Census say about the background of Brownfield?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brownfield, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Black (6.7%) and Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Brownfield in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.3% (3,290 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brownfield appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.3%), Black (6.7%), Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Brownfield (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 Brownfield mean?
A descriptive surname referring to someone who lived or worked on land with dark, fertile soil. 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 Brownfield (1.32 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 Americans have the surname Brownfield?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.