2000
#2,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,864
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.40
Uncommon Last name
Greenfield
A topographic surname denoting someone who lived near a green, grassy area or a village green.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,138 Americans carry the last name Greenfield. That puts it at #3,057 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.83 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 26,089 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Greenfield 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 Greenfield with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 26,089
Census rank
#3,057
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,457 bearers of the surname Greenfield in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.83 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3057th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Greenfield, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.8%. The next largest groups are Black (8.9%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Greenfield
The surname Greenfield is of English origin and dates back to the medieval era. It is a locational name derived from various places called "Greenfield" found across different counties in England. These place names were descriptive, referring to fields or open spaces covered in green vegetation.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Greenfield can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Grenefelde." This entry suggests that the name was already in use by the late 11th century in parts of England.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the name continued to appear in various historical records and documents, often with slight variations in spelling such as "Grenfeld," "Grenefeld," and "Greneville." These variations were common due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions at the time.
One notable bearer of the Greenfield surname was Sir Richard Greenfield (c. 1434-1510), a prominent English landowner and Member of Parliament for Hertfordshire during the reign of Henry VIII. Another historical figure was John Greenfield (1615-1677), an English clergyman and author who served as the Archdeacon of Chichester.
In the 17th century, the surname appeared in various parish records and census documents across England, particularly in counties like Derbyshire, Staffordshire, and Cheshire. One prominent individual from this period was Edward Greenfield (1629-1691), an English mathematician and astrologer who published several works on astronomy and astrology.
The 18th century saw the emergence of John Greenfield (1760-1837), a British naval officer and explorer who led several expeditions to the Arctic regions. He is particularly known for his work in mapping the coastlines of Greenland and the Canadian Arctic Archipelago.
Moving into the 19th century, one notable bearer of the Greenfield surname was Benjamin Greenfield (1789-1866), an American industrialist and inventor who contributed significantly to the development of the textile industry in New England.
Throughout its history, the Greenfield surname has been associated with various locations and place names, such as Greenfield in Derbyshire, Greenfield in Flintshire, Wales, and Greenfield in Bedfordshire, among others. These place names likely contributed to the widespread adoption and distribution of the surname across different regions of England and later, other parts of the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Greenfield
Among Census respondents with the surname Greenfield, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.8%. The next largest groups are Black (8.9%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Greenfield 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 Greenfield surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.8% · 9,491
- Black or African American8.9% · 1,023
- Two or more races3.5% · 403
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 401
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 105
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 34
Timeline
Historical Census data for Greenfield
Greenfield 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
#3,007
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,922
+58 bearers (+0.5%)
Per 100,000 4.04
Rank movement Down 219 places
2020
#3,057
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,457
-465 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 3.83
Rank movement Down 50 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,788 | 11,864 | 4.40 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,007 | 11,922 | 4.04 | +58 bearers (+0.5%) | Down 219 places |
| 2020 | #3,057 | 11,457 | 3.83 | -465 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 50 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 Greenfield 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 | #3,007 | #3,057 | -1.7% |
| Count | 11,922 | 11,457 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 4.04 | 3.83 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Greenfield bearers went from 11,922 to 11,457 (-3.9% change). The surname moved down 50 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,007 to #3,057.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Greenfield
FAQ
Greenfield surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Greenfield?
Name Census estimates that about 13,138 living Americans carry the surname Greenfield. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 26,089 residents.
How common is Greenfield?
Greenfield ranks #3,057 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.83 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,457 people with the surname Greenfield. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,138), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.83 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.83 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Greenfield.
Has Greenfield become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Greenfield went from 11,922 recorded bearers to 11,457. That is a decrease of 465 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,007 to #3,057.
What does the Census say about the background of Greenfield?
Among Census respondents with the surname Greenfield, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.8%. The next largest groups are Black (8.9%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Greenfield in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.8% (9,491 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Greenfield appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.8%), Black (8.9%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Greenfield (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 Greenfield mean?
A topographic surname denoting someone who lived near a green, grassy area or a village green. 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 Greenfield (3.83 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 have the last name Greenfield?
See how common the surname Greenfield is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.