2000
#12,976
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,166
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.80
Rare Last name
Hadfield
An English locational surname derived from a place meaning "heather field."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,621 Americans carry the last name Hadfield. That puts it at #12,867 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 130,772 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hadfield 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 Hadfield with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.6K
1 in 130,772
Census rank
#12,867
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,286 bearers of the surname Hadfield in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12867th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hadfield, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hadfield
The Hadfield surname has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is an English locational name derived from the place name Hadfield, which is located in the county of Derbyshire. The name is believed to have originated from the Old English words "hæcc" meaning a gate or bend, and "feld" meaning a field or open country.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Hadfield surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Hadefeld" in the county of Derbyshire. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region by the late 11th century.
In the 13th century, the surname appeared in various historical records, including the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it was spelled as "Hathefeld" and "Hathfeld." During this period, the name was also associated with several places in Derbyshire, such as Hadfield and Hayfield.
One of the earliest known individuals with the Hadfield surname was John Hadfield, who was born around 1450 in Derbyshire. He was a prominent landowner and served as a Justice of the Peace in the county.
Another notable figure was Sir George Hadfield (1605-1670), an English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Derbyshire in the Long Parliament during the English Civil War.
In the 18th century, the Hadfield family gained prominence in the industrial revolution, with several members becoming successful manufacturers and innovators in the steel industry. One of the most famous was Robert Abbott Hadfield (1858-1940), a renowned metallurgist and inventor who developed the first manganese steel alloy.
Other notable individuals with the Hadfield surname include Sir Robert Hadfield (1859-1940), a pioneering English industrialist and philanthropist, and Charles Hadfield (1821-1884), an English clergyman and author who wrote several books on theology and history.
The Hadfield surname has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Hadfield in Derbyshire, Hadfield in Gloucestershire, and Hadfield in Yorkshire, reflecting the widespread distribution of the name across the country.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hadfield
Among Census respondents with the surname Hadfield, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Hadfield 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 Hadfield surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.7% · 2,142
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 70
- Two or more races2.2% · 51
- Black or African American0.5% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hadfield
Hadfield 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
#13,391
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,275
+109 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Down 415 places
2020
#12,867
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,286
+11 bearers (+0.5%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Up 524 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,976 | 2,166 | 0.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,391 | 2,275 | 0.77 | +109 bearers (+5.0%) | Down 415 places |
| 2020 | #12,867 | 2,286 | 0.76 | +11 bearers (+0.5%) | Up 524 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 Hadfield 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 | #13,391 | #12,867 | 3.9% |
| Count | 2,275 | 2,286 | 0.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.77 | 0.76 | -0.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hadfield bearers went from 2,275 to 2,286 (+0.5% change). The surname moved up 524 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,391 to #12,867.
FAQ
Hadfield surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hadfield?
Name Census estimates that about 2,621 living Americans carry the surname Hadfield. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 130,772 residents.
How common is Hadfield?
Hadfield ranks #12,867 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.76 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 2,286 people with the surname Hadfield. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,621), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.76 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 Hadfield.
Has Hadfield become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hadfield went from 2,275 recorded bearers to 2,286. That is an increase of 11 (+0.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,391 to #12,867.
What does the Census say about the background of Hadfield?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hadfield, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Hadfield in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.7% (2,142 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hadfield appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.7%), Hispanic (3.1%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Hadfield (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 Hadfield mean?
An English locational surname derived from a place meaning "heather 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 Hadfield (0.76 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 Hadfield?
You can see how many people have the surname Hadfield on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.