2000
#8,393
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,620
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.34
Rare Last name
Caulfield
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "cold field" or "cold unplowed land."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,175 Americans carry the last name Caulfield. That puts it at #8,651 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.22 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 82,097 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Caulfield 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 Caulfield with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.2K
1 in 82,097
Census rank
#8,651
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,641 bearers of the surname Caulfield in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.22 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8651st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Caulfield, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Caulfield
Among Census respondents with the surname Caulfield, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Caulfield 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 Caulfield surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 3,330
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 123
- Two or more races2.6% · 93
- Black or African American1.8% · 64
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Caulfield
Caulfield 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
#8,617
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,818
+198 bearers (+5.5%)
Per 100,000 1.29
Rank movement Down 224 places
2020
#8,651
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,641
-177 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 1.22
Rank movement Down 34 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,393 | 3,620 | 1.34 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,617 | 3,818 | 1.29 | +198 bearers (+5.5%) | Down 224 places |
| 2020 | #8,651 | 3,641 | 1.22 | -177 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 34 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 Caulfield 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 | #8,617 | #8,651 | -0.4% |
| Count | 3,818 | 3,641 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.29 | 1.22 | -5.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Caulfield bearers went from 3,818 to 3,641 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 34 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,617 to #8,651.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Caulfield
FAQ
Caulfield surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Caulfield?
Name Census estimates that about 4,175 living Americans carry the surname Caulfield. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 82,097 residents.
How common is Caulfield?
Caulfield ranks #8,651 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.22 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 3,641 people with the surname Caulfield. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,175), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.22 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.22 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 Caulfield.
Has Caulfield become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Caulfield went from 3,818 recorded bearers to 3,641. That is a decrease of 177 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,617 to #8,651.
What does the Census say about the background of Caulfield?
Among Census respondents with the surname Caulfield, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Caulfield in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (3,330 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Caulfield appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Caulfield (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 Caulfield mean?
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "cold field" or "cold unplowed land." 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 Caulfield (1.22 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 Caulfield?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Caulfield at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.