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

Caulfield, 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 Caulfield surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Caulfield in America

Caulfield is the 8617th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Caulfield surname appeared 3,818 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 Caulfield.

We can also compare 2010 data for Caulfield 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 Caulfield

The surname Caulfield has its origins in England, where it first appeared in the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English words "cald" meaning "cold" and "feld" meaning "field", referring to a cold or exposed field. The earliest recorded spelling of the name was in 1273, when it appeared as Caldefeld in the Hundred Rolls of Norfolk.

The name is believed to have originated in the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk, where there were several villages and hamlets with similar names, such as Cawldfeld and Caldfeld. These place names likely gave rise to the surname, as it was common for people to adopt surnames based on the places they lived or originated from.

One of the earliest recorded references to the surname Caulfield can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Caldefeld" in the county of Norfolk. This suggests that the name was already in use by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066.

Notable individuals with the surname Caulfield include:

1. Sir Toby Caulfield (c. 1565 - 1627), an English soldier and statesman who served as Lord Deputy of Ireland.
2. William Caulfield (1624 - 1667), an English clergyman and writer who authored several religious works.
3. James Caulfield, 1st Earl of Charlemont (1728 - 1799), an Irish statesman and nobleman who played a significant role in Irish politics during the 18th century.
4. St. John Caulfield (1805 - 1900), an English-born Catholic priest who served as the first Bishop of Armidale in Australia.
5. Richard Caulfield (1823 - 1887), an Irish antiquarian and writer who published several works on Irish history and antiquities.

The surname Caulfield has been present in various historical records and documents over the centuries, reflecting its long-standing presence in England and later, in Ireland and other parts of the British Isles.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Caulfield

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

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

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

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