2000
#8,053
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,797
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.41
Rare Last name
Durfee
A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "deer field" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,251 Americans carry the last name Durfee. That puts it at #8,525 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 80,629 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Durfee 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
4.3K
1 in 80,629
Census rank
#8,525
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,707 bearers of the surname Durfee in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8525th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Durfee, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Durfee
The surname Durfee originates from England and dates back to the medieval period. It is believed to be a locational name derived from the village of Durfe or Durfee, which was located in the county of Somerset. The name is thought to be derived from the Old English words "deor" meaning deer and "feld" meaning field, suggesting it may have originally referred to a deer field or hunting ground.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Durfei." This entry suggests that the name was already established in England by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066.
In the 13th century, the name was spelled in various forms, such as "Durfey," "Durfie," and "Durfye." These variations likely reflect the different dialects and spelling conventions of the time.
One notable individual bearing the Durfee name was Thomas Durfee, who was born in 1644 in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. He was a prominent figure in the early colonial history of Rhode Island and served as a deputy to the General Assembly.
Another significant bearer of the Durfee name was Job Durfee, who was born in 1712 in Tiverton, Rhode Island. He was a renowned clockmaker and is credited with creating some of the earliest clocks in colonial America.
In the 19th century, Ebenezer Durfee, born in 1823 in Ohio, gained recognition as a successful businessman and philanthropist. He made significant contributions to the establishment of educational institutions in Ohio.
William Pitt Durfee, born in 1855 in Michigan, was a notable lawyer and politician. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1891 to 1895, representing Michigan's 4th congressional district.
Lastly, Delight Durfee, born in 1874 in New York, was a prominent suffragist and advocate for women's rights. She played an active role in the women's suffrage movement and worked tirelessly to secure voting rights for women.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Durfee
Among Census respondents with the surname Durfee, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Durfee 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 Durfee surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.9% · 3,332
- Two or more races4.0% · 150
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 136
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 49
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 21
- Black or African American0.5% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Durfee
Durfee 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
#8,308
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,989
+192 bearers (+5.1%)
Per 100,000 1.35
Rank movement Down 255 places
2020
#8,525
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,707
-282 bearers (-7.1%)
Per 100,000 1.24
Rank movement Down 217 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,053 | 3,797 | 1.41 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,308 | 3,989 | 1.35 | +192 bearers (+5.1%) | Down 255 places |
| 2020 | #8,525 | 3,707 | 1.24 | -282 bearers (-7.1%) | Down 217 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 Durfee 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 | #8,308 | #8,525 | -2.6% |
| Count | 3,989 | 3,707 | -7.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.35 | 1.24 | -8.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Durfee bearers went from 3,989 to 3,707 (-7.1% change). The surname moved down 217 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,308 to #8,525.
FAQ
Durfee surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Durfee?
Name Census estimates that about 4,251 living Americans carry the surname Durfee. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 80,629 residents.
How common is Durfee?
Durfee ranks #8,525 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.24 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 3,707 people with the surname Durfee. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,251), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.24 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 Durfee.
Has Durfee become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Durfee went from 3,989 recorded bearers to 3,707. That is a decrease of 282 (-7.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,308 to #8,525.
What does the Census say about the background of Durfee?
Among Census respondents with the surname Durfee, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Durfee in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.9% (3,332 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Durfee appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.9%), Two or More Races (4.0%), Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Durfee (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 Durfee mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "deer 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 Durfee (1.24 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 Durfee?
See how many people have the last name Durfee on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.