2000
#24,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 960
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.36
Rare Last name
Durfey
A habitational name meaning "of Durfee," from a place in England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,199 Americans carry the last name Durfey. That puts it at #24,869 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.35 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 285,867 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Durfey 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
1.2K
1 in 285,867
Census rank
#24,869
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,046 bearers of the surname Durfey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.35 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 24869th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Durfey, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Durfey
The surname DURFEY traces its origins back to the British Isles, specifically England and Scotland, during the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "deor," meaning "deer," combined with the suffix "-feld," signifying a field or clearing. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a deer-clearing or a place where deer were found.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name DURFEY can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire from the year 1199, where it appears as "de Derfeld." This suggests that the name was already in use by the late 12th century and may have evolved from a place name.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, a similar place name, "Derefeld," is mentioned, indicating the presence of a settlement or location with a connection to deer. This provides further evidence for the potential origin of the DURFEY surname.
Notable individuals bearing the DURFEY surname include Thomas Durfey (1653-1723), an English playwright and poet known for his witty and satirical works. He was a prolific writer during the Restoration period and is remembered for his comedies and songs.
Another noteworthy figure was William Durfey (1690-1769), an English poet and playwright who was also a member of the Royal Society. His works included plays and poems that were popular during his time.
In Scotland, the DURFEY surname can be traced back to the 16th century. One example is Robert Durfey, a merchant and landowner who lived in Dundee in the late 1500s. His descendants continued to bear the DURFEY name in various parts of Scotland.
Moving forward, in the 17th century, there are records of a John Durfey who was a member of the Virginia Company and helped establish the first permanent English settlement in North America at Jamestown in 1607.
Throughout the centuries, the DURFEY surname has undergone various spelling variations, such as Durfee, Durfy, and Durfie, reflecting regional dialects and scribal interpretations. However, the core meaning and origin of the name remain rooted in its association with deer and the English countryside.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Durfey
Among Census respondents with the surname Durfey, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Durfey 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 Durfey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.4% · 956
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 39
- Two or more races3.3% · 35
- Black or African American0.9% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Durfey
Durfey 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
#26,598
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 916
-44 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 0.31
Rank movement Down 2,166 places
2020
#24,869
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,046
+130 bearers (+14.2%)
Per 100,000 0.35
Rank movement Up 1,729 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #24,432 | 960 | 0.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #26,598 | 916 | 0.31 | -44 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 2,166 places |
| 2020 | #24,869 | 1,046 | 0.35 | +130 bearers (+14.2%) | Up 1,729 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 Durfey 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 | #26,598 | #24,869 | 6.5% |
| Count | 916 | 1,046 | 14.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.31 | 0.35 | 12.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Durfey bearers went from 916 to 1,046 (+14.2% change). The surname moved up 1,729 positions in the national ranking, going from #26,598 to #24,869.
FAQ
Durfey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Durfey?
Name Census estimates that about 1,199 living Americans carry the surname Durfey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 285,867 residents.
How common is Durfey?
Durfey ranks #24,869 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.35 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 1,046 people with the surname Durfey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,199), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.35 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.35 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 Durfey.
Has Durfey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Durfey went from 916 recorded bearers to 1,046. That is an increase of 130 (+14.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #26,598 to #24,869.
What does the Census say about the background of Durfey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Durfey, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) 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 Durfey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.4% (956 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Durfey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.4%), Hispanic (3.7%), 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 Durfey (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 Durfey mean?
A habitational name meaning "of Durfee," from a place in England. 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 Durfey (0.35 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 Durfey?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Durfey at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.