Burfield last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Burfield

A surname originating from a Germanic place name referring to a field by a fortified area or settlement.

Burfield, 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 Burfield surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Burfield in America

Burfield is the 44957th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Burfield surname appeared 477 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Burfield.

We can also compare 2010 data for Burfield 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 44957 37200 18.88%
Count 477 564 -16.71%
Proportion per 100k 0.16 0.21 -27.03%

The history of the last name Burfield

The surname Burfield is of English origin, with its roots dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to have emerged as a locational name, derived from a place called "Burfield" or a similar spelling variation. This place name is thought to be a combination of the Old English words "burh," meaning a fortified town or manor, and "feld," referring to a field or open land.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Burfield can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from the 13th century, where a certain "Robert de Burfeld" is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already in use and associated with a specific geographical location during that time.

In the 14th century, records show a "John Burfeld" residing in the county of Gloucestershire, indicating the spread of the name across different regions of England. The Burfield surname also appears in various parish records and tax rolls from the 15th and 16th centuries, further solidifying its presence in English history.

One notable individual bearing the Burfield surname was Thomas Burfield (1577-1636), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Provost of Eton College from 1624 until his death. Another prominent figure was Sir Henry Burfield (1620-1688), a wealthy merchant and landowner who held the position of Lord Mayor of London in 1676.

During the 17th century, the Burfield name gained recognition through the exploits of Captain John Burfield (1633-1682), a renowned English naval officer who played a significant role in several battles against the Dutch during the Anglo-Dutch Wars.

In the 18th century, the Burfield family established itself in various parts of England, with members such as William Burfield (1701-1774), a successful businessman and landowner in Buckinghamshire, and Reverend Edward Burfield (1732-1801), a respected clergyman in Gloucestershire.

Moving into the 19th century, notable individuals with the Burfield surname included Charles Burfield (1820-1892), a prominent lawyer and judge in South Australia, and Emily Burfield (1858-1941), a British author and educator who wrote several books on history and literature.

Throughout its history, the Burfield surname has undergone various spelling variations, such as Burfeild, Burfyld, and Burfild, reflecting the fluidity of name spellings in earlier times. While the name may have originated from a specific location, it eventually spread across different regions of England, carried by families and individuals who contributed to the rich tapestry of English history and society.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Burfield

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

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 Burfield was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 90.78% 433
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 2.73% 13
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 2.10% 10
Hispanic Origin 3.56% 17

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 Burfield has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 90.78% 94.86% -4.40%
Black (S)% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 2.73% 1.24% 75.06%
Two or More Races 2.10% 0.89% 80.94%
Hispanic 3.56% 2.13% 50.26%

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 Burfield was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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"Burfield last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on July 3, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/burfield-surname-popularity/.

"Burfield last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/burfield-surname-popularity/. Accessed 3 July, 2025

Burfield last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/burfield-surname-popularity/.

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