2000
#7,163
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,296
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.59
Rare Last name
Garfield
A surname of English origin referring to someone who lived in a triangular field or at a triangular road junction.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,723 Americans carry the last name Garfield. That puts it at #7,741 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.38 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 72,571 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Garfield 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 Garfield with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.7K
1 in 72,571
Census rank
#7,741
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,119 bearers of the surname Garfield in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.38 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7741st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Garfield, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.0%. The next largest groups are Black (12.4%) and Hispanic (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Garfield
The surname Garfield is of English origin and is believed to have emerged in the late 12th century. It is a locational surname derived from the Old English words "gara" meaning "triangular piece of land" and "feld" meaning "field." The name likely originated in the village of Garforth in West Yorkshire, England, which was recorded as Gareford in the Domesday Book of 1086.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Garfield can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1203, where a Hugo de Gareford is mentioned. The surname was initially spelled in various forms, such as Garford, Gareford, and Garforth, before evolving into its modern spelling.
In the 13th century, a Henry de Garford was mentioned in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire from 1286. The name also appeared in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, where a John de Garford was listed.
One notable bearer of the surname Garfield was Sir Thomas Garfield (c. 1493-1558), who served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1555. Another prominent figure was Samuel Garfield (1595-1672), an English Puritan clergyman and author who emigrated to Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1636.
In the United States, one of the most famous individuals with the surname Garfield was James A. Garfield (1831-1881), the 20th President of the United States. He was born in Orange, Ohio, and served as a major general in the Union Army during the American Civil War before entering politics.
Other notable Garfields include John Garfield (1913-1952), an American actor known for his roles in classic films such as "The Postman Always Rings Twice" and "Body and Soul," and Cyril Garfield (1892-1939), a British actor and screenwriter who appeared in several silent films and early talkies.
The Garfield surname has also been associated with literary figures, such as Helen Garfield (1877-1966), an American poet and playwright, and William Garfield (1899-1966), an American author and journalist who wrote for The New Yorker and other publications.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Garfield
Among Census respondents with the surname Garfield, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.0%. The next largest groups are Black (12.4%) and Hispanic (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Garfield 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 Garfield surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.0% · 3,006
- Black or African American12.4% · 511
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 197
- American Indian and Alaska Native4.5% · 186
- Two or more races4.0% · 164
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 55
Timeline
Historical Census data for Garfield
Garfield 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
#7,492
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,447
+151 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 1.51
Rank movement Down 329 places
2020
#7,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,119
-328 bearers (-7.4%)
Per 100,000 1.38
Rank movement Down 249 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,163 | 4,296 | 1.59 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,492 | 4,447 | 1.51 | +151 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 329 places |
| 2020 | #7,741 | 4,119 | 1.38 | -328 bearers (-7.4%) | Down 249 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 Garfield 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 | #7,492 | #7,741 | -3.3% |
| Count | 4,447 | 4,119 | -7.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.51 | 1.38 | -8.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Garfield bearers went from 4,447 to 4,119 (-7.4% change). The surname moved down 249 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,492 to #7,741.
FAQ
Garfield surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Garfield?
Name Census estimates that about 4,723 living Americans carry the surname Garfield. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 72,571 residents.
How common is Garfield?
Garfield ranks #7,741 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.38 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 4,119 people with the surname Garfield. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,723), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.38 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.38 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 Garfield.
Has Garfield become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Garfield went from 4,447 recorded bearers to 4,119. That is a decrease of 328 (-7.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,492 to #7,741.
What does the Census say about the background of Garfield?
Among Census respondents with the surname Garfield, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.0%. The next largest groups are Black (12.4%) and Hispanic (4.8%). 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 Garfield in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.0% (3,006 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Garfield appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.0%), Black (12.4%), Hispanic (4.8%). 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 Garfield (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 Garfield mean?
A surname of English origin referring to someone who lived in a triangular field or at a triangular road junction. 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 Garfield (1.38 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 share the surname Garfield?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.