2000
#9,180
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,267
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.21
Rare Last name
Hartfield
A locational surname referring to someone from a place called Hartfield, likely meaning "open land frequented by deer."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,815 Americans carry the last name Hartfield. That puts it at #9,380 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 89,844 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hartfield 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 Hartfield with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.8K
1 in 89,844
Census rank
#9,380
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,327 bearers of the surname Hartfield in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9380th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hartfield, the largest self-reported group is Black at 50.8%. The next largest groups are White (39.8%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hartfield
The surname Hartfield is of English origin, with roots tracing back to the medieval period. It is a locational name derived from the place name "Hartfield," which refers to several villages and towns across England, particularly in East Sussex and Yorkshire.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hartfield can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is spelled as "Hereveldinga." This entry suggests that the name may have originated from the Old English words "hara," meaning hare, and "feld," meaning field, thus translating to "the field of the hares."
During the 13th century, the surname appeared in various forms, including Harefelde, Herefelde, and Hertfelde, reflecting the evolution of spelling and pronunciation over time. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and the scribes who recorded the names.
Notable individuals bearing the surname Hartfield include Sir John Hartfield (c. 1480-1545), a prominent English politician and landowner during the reign of Henry VIII. Another notable figure was William Hartfield (1558-1622), an English lawyer and Member of Parliament for Malmesbury in 1604.
In the 17th century, the surname gained wider recognition with the birth of Robert Hartfield (1632-1689), an English philosopher and theologian who authored several influential works on ethics and moral philosophy.
Moving into the 18th century, Samuel Hartfield (1712-1784) was a notable English architect responsible for designing several churches and public buildings in London and the surrounding areas.
The 19th century saw the birth of Emily Hartfield (1843-1912), a celebrated British author and poet known for her romantic novels and poetic works that captured the essence of Victorian society.
While the surname Hartfield has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora. However, the historical records and references mentioned above provide valuable insights into the origins and evolution of this distinctive surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hartfield
Among Census respondents with the surname Hartfield, the largest self-reported group is Black at 50.8%. The next largest groups are White (39.8%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Hartfield 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 Hartfield surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American50.8% · 1,690
- White39.8% · 1,325
- Two or more races5.4% · 180
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 104
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hartfield
Hartfield 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
#9,578
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,394
+127 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 1.15
Rank movement Down 398 places
2020
#9,380
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,327
-67 bearers (-2.0%)
Per 100,000 1.11
Rank movement Up 198 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,180 | 3,267 | 1.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,578 | 3,394 | 1.15 | +127 bearers (+3.9%) | Down 398 places |
| 2020 | #9,380 | 3,327 | 1.11 | -67 bearers (-2.0%) | Up 198 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 Hartfield 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 | #9,578 | #9,380 | 2.1% |
| Count | 3,394 | 3,327 | -2.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.15 | 1.11 | -3.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hartfield bearers went from 3,394 to 3,327 (-2.0% change). The surname moved up 198 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,578 to #9,380.
FAQ
Hartfield surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hartfield?
Name Census estimates that about 3,815 living Americans carry the surname Hartfield. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 89,844 residents.
How common is Hartfield?
Hartfield ranks #9,380 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.11 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 3,327 people with the surname Hartfield. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,815), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.11 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 Hartfield.
Has Hartfield become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hartfield went from 3,394 recorded bearers to 3,327. That is a decrease of 67 (-2.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,578 to #9,380.
What does the Census say about the background of Hartfield?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hartfield, the largest self-reported group is Black at 50.8%. The next largest groups are White (39.8%) and Two or More Races (5.4%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Hartfield in the 2020 Census, accounting for 50.8% (1,690 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hartfield appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (50.8%), White (39.8%), Two or More Races (5.4%). 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 Hartfield (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 Hartfield mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from a place called Hartfield, likely meaning "open land frequented by deer." 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 Hartfield (1.11 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 Hartfield?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Hartfield at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.