2000
#146,011
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Hackfeld
A German occupational surname referring to someone who farmed or cultivated fields.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Hackfeld. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hackfeld 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Hackfeld in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hackfeld, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.3%) and Black (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hackfeld
The surname Hackfeld is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. The name likely emerged in the 14th or 15th century in the region of present-day northern Germany or the Low Countries.
The name Hackfeld is derived from the Old German words "hack" and "feld," which together mean "field of beech trees." This suggests that the name may have originated as a descriptive surname referring to a person who lived near or owned land with a beech grove.
One of the earliest known records of the Hackfeld name dates back to the late 16th century in the city of Hamburg. A merchant named Hans Hackfeld is mentioned in a trade register from 1587, indicating that the name was already established in the region.
In the 17th century, the Hackfeld family gained prominence in the city of Bremen. A wealthy merchant and ship owner named Wilhelm Hackfeld (1624-1693) was a influential figure in the city's maritime trade. His son, Johann Hackfeld (1657-1721), continued the family's success in the shipping industry.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the Hackfeld name spread throughout Germany and other parts of Europe as families migrated and sought new opportunities. One notable figure was the industrialist and entrepreneur Heinrich Hackfeld (1792-1869), who established a successful trading company in the Kingdom of Hawaii.
Another significant individual was the German explorer and naturalist Paul Wilhelm Hackfeld (1837-1921), who conducted extensive research in the Pacific region and made significant contributions to the field of botany.
In the 20th century, the Hackfeld name gained recognition through the work of the German-American author and journalist Gertrude Hackfeld (1892-1972), who wrote extensively about social issues and the experiences of immigrants in the United States.
Other notable individuals with the Hackfeld surname include the German writer and poet Erich Hackfeld (1908-1997), the American businessman and philanthropist Walter Hackfeld (1915-2002), and the German-born artist and sculptor Ingrid Hackfeld (1924-2006).
Throughout its history, the Hackfeld name has been associated with various professions, from merchants and entrepreneurs to explorers, writers, and artists, reflecting the diverse paths taken by those who carried this distinctive surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hackfeld
Among Census respondents with the surname Hackfeld, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.3%) and Black (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Hackfeld 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 Hackfeld surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.1% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino6.3% · 7
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hackfeld
Hackfeld 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
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+8 bearers (+7.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,242 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,412 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #146,011 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.7%) | Down 1,242 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 1,412 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 Hackfeld 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 | #147,253 | #148,665 | -1.0% |
| Count | 112 | 111 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hackfeld bearers went from 112 to 111 (-0.9% change). The surname moved down 1,412 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #148,665.
FAQ
Hackfeld surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hackfeld?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Hackfeld. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Hackfeld?
Hackfeld ranks #148,665 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 111 people with the surname Hackfeld. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Hackfeld.
Has Hackfeld become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hackfeld went from 112 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #147,253 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Hackfeld?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hackfeld, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.3%) and Black (1.8%). 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 Hackfeld in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.1% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hackfeld appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.1%), Hispanic (6.3%), Black (1.8%). 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 Hackfeld (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 Hackfeld mean?
A German occupational surname referring to someone who farmed or cultivated fields. 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 Hackfeld (0.04 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 surname Hackfeld?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.