2010
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Dufield
A habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "deep field" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Dufield. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dufield 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.
Bearers in the US
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Dufield in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dufield, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and Black (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dufield
The surname Dufield is of English origin, deriving from the Middle English words "dun" and "feld," which collectively mean "hill field" or "down field." This name likely originated in the counties of Lancashire and Yorkshire during the medieval period, where it was used as a locational surname, referring to someone who lived near or worked on a hill field or down field.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Dufield can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Lancashire from the late 13th century, where it appears as "de Dunfeld." This spelling variation suggests that the name may have initially been used as a descriptive identifier before becoming a hereditary surname.
In the 16th century, the name Duffield, a similar spelling variation, appeared in the Parish Records of Ecclesfield, Yorkshire, where a certain John Duffield was listed as a resident in 1548. This record provides evidence of the name's continued use and evolution in the Yorkshire region.
Historically, the Dufield surname has been associated with several notable individuals. One such figure was Sir Ralph Duffield (c. 1530-1592), a prominent English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Hertfordshire during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
Another individual of note was Samuel Duffield (1727-1787), a Scottish-born American Presbyterian minister and educator who played a significant role in the establishment of several educational institutions in Pennsylvania, including the University of Pennsylvania.
In the literary realm, Thomas Duffield (1821-1885), an English poet and playwright, gained recognition for his works, including the play "The Patriot Martyrs" and the epic poem "The Double Knot."
Additionally, the Dufield surname has been carried by individuals in various other fields, such as Charles Gideon Duffield (1835-1907), an English-born Australian politician and businessman who served as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, and Albert C. Duffield (1882-1951), an American businessman and philanthropist who established the Duffield Asphalt Company.
Throughout history, the Dufield surname has undergone various spelling variations, including Duffeld, Duffell, Duffill, and Duffelde, reflecting the fluidity of surname spellings during earlier periods. However, the core meaning and origin of the name have remained rooted in the Middle English concept of a "hill field" or "down field," serving as a testament to the surname's longstanding connection to the English landscape.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dufield
Among Census respondents with the surname Dufield, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and Black (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Dufield 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 Dufield surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.1% · 98
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 2
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dufield
Dufield appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-10 bearers (-8.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 7,502 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -10 bearers (-8.9%) | Down 7,502 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 Dufield 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 | #147,253 | #154,755 | -5.1% |
| Count | 112 | 102 | -8.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dufield bearers went from 112 to 102 (-8.9% change). The surname moved down 7,502 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #154,755.
FAQ
Dufield surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dufield?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Dufield. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Dufield?
Dufield ranks #154,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 102 people with the surname Dufield. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Dufield.
Has Dufield become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dufield went from 112 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #147,253 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Dufield?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dufield, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and Black (1.0%). 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 Dufield in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.1% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dufield appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.1%), Hispanic (2.0%), Black (1.0%). 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 Dufield (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 Dufield mean?
A habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "deep field" 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 Dufield (0.03 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 Dufield?
Find out how common the surname Dufield is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.