2000
#7,650
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,010
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.49
Rare Last name
Hartsfield
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "hart's field" (a field frequented by deer).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,557 Americans carry the last name Hartsfield. That puts it at #7,999 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.33 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 75,215 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hartsfield 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
4.6K
1 in 75,215
Census rank
#7,999
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,974 bearers of the surname Hartsfield in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.33 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7999th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hartsfield, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.6%. The next largest groups are Black (33.2%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hartsfield
The surname Hartsfield has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is a locational name, derived from the Old English words "heorot" meaning "hart" or "deer" and "feld" meaning "field" or "open land." This suggests that the name originated from a place where deer were commonly found or a place associated with deer hunting.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions a landowner named Adelard de Herefeld in Buckinghamshire. This spelling variation, "Herefeld," is believed to be an early form of the surname Hartsfield.
In the 13th century, records show instances of the name spelled as "Hertesfeld" and "Hurtesfeld" in various parts of England, including Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex. These early spellings reflect the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling at the time.
One notable bearer of the Hartsfield surname was John Hartsfield, a member of the English Parliament who represented Derbyshire in 1382. Another early recorded individual was Thomas Hartsfield, who was born in Cheshire around 1450 and served as a magistrate in the county.
In the 16th century, the name appeared in various court records and parish registers across England. William Hartsfield, born in Oxfordshire in 1524, was a prominent landowner and benefactor who contributed to the construction of a local church.
During the 17th century, the surname Hartsfield was found in different regions of England, including London, where a family of that name was involved in the textile trade. One notable figure was Richard Hartsfield, born in 1632 in Gloucestershire, who was a renowned scholar and author of several theological works.
As the centuries progressed, the surname Hartsfield continued to be found in various parts of England, with some bearers of the name migrating to other parts of the world, including the Americas and Australia. Among the notable figures with this surname in more recent history was Sir Michael Hartsfield (1785-1867), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars.
Throughout its history, the Hartsfield surname has maintained its connection to its locational origins, reflecting the association with deer and open fields in England's rural landscapes. While variations in spelling occurred over time, the core meaning and significance of the name have remained consistent.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hartsfield
Among Census respondents with the surname Hartsfield, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.6%. The next largest groups are Black (33.2%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Hartsfield 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 Hartsfield surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White57.6% · 2,289
- Black or African American33.2% · 1,319
- Two or more races5.1% · 204
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 125
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hartsfield
Hartsfield 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
#7,898
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,192
+182 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 1.42
Rank movement Down 248 places
2020
#7,999
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,974
-218 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 1.33
Rank movement Down 101 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,650 | 4,010 | 1.49 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,898 | 4,192 | 1.42 | +182 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 248 places |
| 2020 | #7,999 | 3,974 | 1.33 | -218 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 101 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 Hartsfield 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 | #7,898 | #7,999 | -1.3% |
| Count | 4,192 | 3,974 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.42 | 1.33 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hartsfield bearers went from 4,192 to 3,974 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 101 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,898 to #7,999.
FAQ
Hartsfield surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hartsfield?
Name Census estimates that about 4,557 living Americans carry the surname Hartsfield. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 75,215 residents.
How common is Hartsfield?
Hartsfield ranks #7,999 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.33 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 3,974 people with the surname Hartsfield. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,557), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.33 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.33 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 Hartsfield.
Has Hartsfield become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hartsfield went from 4,192 recorded bearers to 3,974. That is a decrease of 218 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,898 to #7,999.
What does the Census say about the background of Hartsfield?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hartsfield, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.6%. The next largest groups are Black (33.2%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Hartsfield in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.6% (2,289 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hartsfield appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (57.6%), Black (33.2%), Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Hartsfield (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 Hartsfield mean?
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "hart's field" (a field 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 Hartsfield (1.33 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 Americans have the surname Hartsfield?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.