Find out how popular the last name Hatfield is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Hatfield.

Hatfield, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Hatfield surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hatfield in America

Hatfield is the 1017th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hatfield surname appeared 34,381 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 12 people would have the surname Hatfield.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hatfield to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Hatfield

The surname Hatfield is an English locational name derived from the place name Hatfield, which itself is composed of the Old English elements 'haet' meaning 'hat' or 'headdress' and 'feld' meaning 'field'. This suggests that the name likely originated from a place where hats or headwear were made or sold.

The name is first recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as 'Hetfelle' in Yorkshire. This early spelling variation indicates the name's origins in the northern regions of England.

One of the earliest bearers of the name was Robert de Hatfield, who was recorded as a landowner in Yorkshire in the 13th century. The Hatfield family later became prominent in the county of Hertfordshire, where a town also bears their name.

A notable figure was William of Hatfield, who served as the Bishop of Durham from 1345 to 1381. He was a prominent churchman and played a significant role in the political affairs of his time.

Another historically significant bearer of the name was Thomas Hatfield, born in 1423, who was an English bishop and diplomat. He served as the Bishop of Durham from 1457 to 1459 and was a trusted advisor to King Edward IV.

In the 16th century, Sir Christopher Hatton (1540-1591) was a prominent English politician and Lord Chancellor under Queen Elizabeth I. He was also a patron of the arts and a benefactor of the University of Oxford.

During the English Civil War, Christopher Hatton, 1st Baron Hatton (1605-1670), was a prominent Royalist and supporter of King Charles I. He served as the Governor of Guernsey and played a significant role in the Royalist cause.

While the name Hatfield has a long and distinguished history in England, it has also been carried by notable individuals in other parts of the world. For example, Mark Hatfield (1922-2011) was an American politician who served as a U.S. Senator from Oregon and as the Governor of that state.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hatfield

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Hatfield.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Hatfield was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Hatfield has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Hatfield was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Hatfield, please contact us.

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