2000
#12,916
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,182
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.81
Rare Last name
Critchfield
Derived from a place name meaning "field frequented by crows" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,421 Americans carry the last name Critchfield. That puts it at #13,735 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 141,576 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Critchfield 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 Critchfield with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 141,576
Census rank
#13,735
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,111 bearers of the surname Critchfield in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13735th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Critchfield, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Critchfield
The surname Critchfield has its origins in England, likely emerging in the 13th or 14th century. It is believed to be a locational surname, derived from a place name such as Critchill or Crichel, which were small villages or hamlets in Dorset and Somerset. The name is thought to come from the Old English words "cric" or "crič," meaning a small creek or stream, and "hyll" or "hill," meaning a hill or elevated ground.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Dorset in 1327, where a John de Crichull is mentioned. The Hundred Rolls of Wiltshire from 1273 also reference a Robert de Crichel. These early spellings, such as Crichull and Crichel, reflect the evolution of the name from its Old English roots.
In the 16th century, the surname appears in various records with slightly different spellings, including Critchfield, Critchfeild, and Critchfyld. One notable individual from this period was William Critchfield, born around 1530 in Dorset, who was a yeoman farmer and landowner.
The Critchfield surname is also associated with several notable figures throughout history. In the 17th century, John Critchfield (1615-1685) was an English clergyman and author who served as the Rector of Shalfleet on the Isle of Wight. Another individual of note was Richard Critchfield (1738-1821), a prominent American Revolutionary War soldier and politician from Virginia.
Moving into the 18th and 19th centuries, the surname continued to be found across England, with concentrations in areas like Dorset, Somerset, and Wiltshire. One notable individual from this era was George Critchfield (1823-1891), a British businessman and philanthropist who made significant contributions to the city of Birmingham.
Lastly, in the late 19th century, Thomas Critchfield (1856-1924) was an English-born American architect who designed several notable buildings in New York City, including the former headquarters of the United States Rubber Company.
While the Critchfield surname has its roots in specific regions of England, it has since spread across the globe, with descendants found in various countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Critchfield
Among Census respondents with the surname Critchfield, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Critchfield 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 Critchfield surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 1,944
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 72
- Two or more races3.3% · 70
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 18
- Black or African American0.2% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Critchfield
Critchfield 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
#13,893
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,173
-9 bearers (-0.4%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Down 977 places
2020
#13,735
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,111
-62 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Up 158 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,916 | 2,182 | 0.81 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,893 | 2,173 | 0.74 | -9 bearers (-0.4%) | Down 977 places |
| 2020 | #13,735 | 2,111 | 0.71 | -62 bearers (-2.9%) | Up 158 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 Critchfield 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 | #13,893 | #13,735 | 1.1% |
| Count | 2,173 | 2,111 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.74 | 0.71 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Critchfield bearers went from 2,173 to 2,111 (-2.9% change). The surname moved up 158 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,893 to #13,735.
FAQ
Critchfield surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Critchfield?
Name Census estimates that about 2,421 living Americans carry the surname Critchfield. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 141,576 residents.
How common is Critchfield?
Critchfield ranks #13,735 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.71 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 2,111 people with the surname Critchfield. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,421), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.71 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 Critchfield.
Has Critchfield become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Critchfield went from 2,173 recorded bearers to 2,111. That is a decrease of 62 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,893 to #13,735.
What does the Census say about the background of Critchfield?
Among Census respondents with the surname Critchfield, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Critchfield in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (1,944 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Critchfield appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Critchfield (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 Critchfield mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "field frequented by crows" in Old English. 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 Critchfield (0.71 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 people are called Critchfield?
See how many people have the last name Critchfield on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.