2000
#956
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 33,464
First available Census row
Per 100,000 12.41
Uncommon Last name
Hatfield
A locational surname referring to someone from any of the places named Hatfield in England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 37,896 Americans carry the last name Hatfield. That puts it at #1,045 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 11.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 9,045 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hatfield 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 Hatfield with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
38K
1 in 9,045
Census rank
#1,045
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
11.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
33K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 33,047 bearers of the surname Hatfield in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 11.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1045th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hatfield, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Black (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hatfield
Among Census respondents with the surname Hatfield, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Black (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Hatfield 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 Hatfield surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.8% · 29,676
- Two or more races3.6% · 1,193
- Black or African American2.8% · 936
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 862
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 195
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 185
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hatfield
Hatfield 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
#1,017
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 34,381
+917 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 11.66
Rank movement Down 61 places
2020
#1,045
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 33,047
-1,334 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 11.06
Rank movement Down 28 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #956 | 33,464 | 12.41 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,017 | 34,381 | 11.66 | +917 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 61 places |
| 2020 | #1,045 | 33,047 | 11.06 | -1,334 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 28 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 Hatfield 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 | #1,017 | #1,045 | -2.8% |
| Count | 34,381 | 33,047 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 11.66 | 11.06 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hatfield bearers went from 34,381 to 33,047 (-3.9% change). The surname moved down 28 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,017 to #1,045.
FAQ
Hatfield surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hatfield?
Name Census estimates that about 37,896 living Americans carry the surname Hatfield. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 9,045 residents.
How common is Hatfield?
Hatfield ranks #1,045 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 11.06 per 100,000 residents, which is about 11 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 33,047 people with the surname Hatfield. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (37,896), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 11.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 11.06 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 11 of them to have the surname Hatfield.
Has Hatfield become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hatfield went from 34,381 recorded bearers to 33,047. That is a decrease of 1,334 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,017 to #1,045.
What does the Census say about the background of Hatfield?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hatfield, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Black (2.8%). 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 Hatfield in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.8% (29,676 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hatfield appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.8%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Black (2.8%). 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 Hatfield (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 Hatfield mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from any of the places named Hatfield in England. 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 Hatfield (11.06 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 last name Hatfield?
Find out how many people are called Hatfield on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.