2000
#11,232
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,587
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.96
Rare Last name
Fairfield
A locational surname referring to someone who lived on a beautiful open land or attractive field.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,801 Americans carry the last name Fairfield. That puts it at #12,173 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 122,369 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fairfield 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 Fairfield with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.8K
1 in 122,369
Census rank
#12,173
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,443 bearers of the surname Fairfield in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12173rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fairfield, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.3%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fairfield
The surname Fairfield is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period, with its roots tracing back to the 11th century. It is a locational name, derived from the Old English words "faeger" meaning fair or beautiful, and "feld" meaning a field or open area. This combination suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived near a particularly attractive or well-tended field.
One of the earliest recorded references to the surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Fairefelde" in Derbyshire. This ancient record provides valuable insight into the existence of the name during the Norman Conquest and the early days of England's recorded history.
In the 13th century, the name appears in various forms such as "Fayrfeld" and "Fairefelde" in county records across England, particularly in the counties of Yorkshire, Derbyshire, and Staffordshire. These early records indicate that the name was well-established in various regions of the country.
Notable individuals with the surname Fairfield include Thomas Fairfield (1592-1666), an English clergyman and writer who served as the rector of St. Andrew's Church in Ipswich, Suffolk. Another prominent figure was Humphrey Fairfield (1609-1681), a founder of the town of Fairfield, Connecticut, in the American colonies.
In the 18th century, William Fairfield (1714-1793) was a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Seven Years' War and the American Revolutionary War. During the same period, John Fairfield (1797-1847) was an American politician who served as the 14th Governor of Maine from 1839 to 1843.
Moving into the 19th century, Sumner Fairfield (1835-1917) was an American educator and writer who served as the president of Hillsdale College in Michigan. He was known for his advocacy of classical education and his opposition to the growing influence of progressive education.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who carried the surname Fairfield throughout history, showcasing its presence and significance across various regions, professions, and time periods.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fairfield
Among Census respondents with the surname Fairfield, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.3%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Fairfield 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 Fairfield surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.1% · 2,103
- Hispanic or Latino6.3% · 154
- Two or more races4.1% · 101
- Black or African American1.7% · 42
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 30
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fairfield
Fairfield 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
#11,904
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,630
+43 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.89
Rank movement Down 672 places
2020
#12,173
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,443
-187 bearers (-7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Down 269 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,232 | 2,587 | 0.96 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,904 | 2,630 | 0.89 | +43 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 672 places |
| 2020 | #12,173 | 2,443 | 0.82 | -187 bearers (-7.1%) | Down 269 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 Fairfield 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 | #11,904 | #12,173 | -2.3% |
| Count | 2,630 | 2,443 | -7.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.89 | 0.82 | -8.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fairfield bearers went from 2,630 to 2,443 (-7.1% change). The surname moved down 269 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,904 to #12,173.
FAQ
Fairfield surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fairfield?
Name Census estimates that about 2,801 living Americans carry the surname Fairfield. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 122,369 residents.
How common is Fairfield?
Fairfield ranks #12,173 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.82 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 2,443 people with the surname Fairfield. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,801), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.82 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 Fairfield.
Has Fairfield become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fairfield went from 2,630 recorded bearers to 2,443. That is a decrease of 187 (-7.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,904 to #12,173.
What does the Census say about the background of Fairfield?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fairfield, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.3%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Fairfield in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.1% (2,103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fairfield appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.1%), Hispanic (6.3%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Fairfield (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 Fairfield mean?
A locational surname referring to someone who lived on a beautiful open land or attractive field. 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 Fairfield (0.82 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 Americans have the surname Fairfield?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.