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

Litchfield, 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 Litchfield surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Litchfield in America

Litchfield is the 7737th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Litchfield surname appeared 4,290 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Litchfield.

We can also compare 2010 data for Litchfield 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 Litchfield

The surname Litchfield originated in England during the medieval period. It is a locational name derived from the town of Litchfield, located in Staffordshire. The name is believed to have originated from the Old English words "líc" meaning body or corpse, and "feld" meaning field or open land.

The earliest recorded instance of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it was spelled as "Lecfelde." This suggests that the name was already in use by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066. The spelling variations over time include Lychfeld, Lichfelde, and Lychfyld.

One of the earliest notable bearers of the name was Sir John Litchfield (c. 1300 - 1376), a knight and landowner from Staffordshire. He served as the High Sheriff of Staffordshire in 1342 and was a prominent figure in the local community.

Another historical figure was Richard Litchfield (c. 1480 - 1542), a clergyman and scholar who served as the Archdeacon of Middlesex. He was known for his work in translating and publishing several religious texts.

In the 16th century, a branch of the Litchfield family settled in Oxfordshire, where they became prominent landowners. Sir William Litchfield (1537 - 1608) was a notable member of this branch, serving as a Member of Parliament and holding various positions within the local government.

During the English Civil War, Colonel Ralph Litchfield (1610 - 1675) fought on the Parliamentarian side and was known for his role in the siege of Oxford in 1646.

In the 18th century, Samuel Litchfield (1712 - 1782) was a prominent merchant and philanthropist in London. He made significant contributions to various charitable organizations and was a benefactor of several schools and universities.

While the name Litchfield has its origins in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through emigration to North America and other English-speaking countries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Litchfield

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

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 Litchfield 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 Litchfield 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 Litchfield was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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