2000
#14,370
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,910
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.71
Rare Last name
Moorefield
A habitational name derived from any of the various places named with the elements "moor" and "field".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,046 Americans carry the last name Moorefield. That puts it at #15,760 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 167,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Moorefield 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
2.0K
1 in 167,524
Census rank
#15,760
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,784 bearers of the surname Moorefield in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15760th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Moorefield, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Black (8.8%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Moorefield
The surname Moorefield is of English origin, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is a locational name, derived from the Old English words "mor" meaning a moor or wasteland, and "feld" meaning a field or open area. The name suggests that the original bearers of this surname hailed from an area of uncultivated or marshy fields.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Moorefield can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, where it appears as "William de Morfeld." This spelling variation, along with others like "Morfeld" and "Morfelde," was common in the medieval period before standardized spelling became widespread.
In the 16th century, the surname Moorefield appears in various historical records, such as the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1558, which mentions a "John Morfeld." During this time, the name was also associated with specific locations, like the village of Morefield in Shropshire, which likely contributed to the surname's origin and prevalence.
Notable individuals with the surname Moorefield throughout history include Richard Moorefield (1652-1715), an English Quaker minister and writer who authored several religious works. Another prominent figure was John Moorefield (1735-1799), an American Revolutionary War soldier who fought at the Battle of Brandywine and later served in the Virginia legislature.
In the 19th century, Thomas Moorefield (1811-1880), a farmer and politician from Virginia, represented his district in the United States House of Representatives. Another Moorefield of note was William G. Moorefield (1835-1913), a Union Army officer during the American Civil War, who later became a prominent lawyer and judge in West Virginia.
One of the most famous individuals with the surname Moorefield was Charles Moorefield (1859-1935), an English actor and playwright known for his collaborations with the renowned dramatist W.S. Gilbert. His plays, including "His Excellency the Governor" and "The Transgressor," were widely performed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The name Moorefield has a rich history, tracing its roots back to the English countryside and spanning various professions and achievements over the centuries. While the spelling may have evolved, the essence of the name remains rooted in its locational origins, reflecting the fields and moors that once shaped the lives of its earliest bearers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Moorefield
Among Census respondents with the surname Moorefield, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Black (8.8%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Moorefield 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 Moorefield surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.0% · 1,516
- Black or African American8.8% · 157
- Two or more races2.9% · 52
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 47
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Moorefield
Moorefield 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
#15,250
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,928
+18 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Down 880 places
2020
#15,760
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,784
-144 bearers (-7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Down 510 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,370 | 1,910 | 0.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,250 | 1,928 | 0.65 | +18 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 880 places |
| 2020 | #15,760 | 1,784 | 0.60 | -144 bearers (-7.5%) | Down 510 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 Moorefield 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 | #15,250 | #15,760 | -3.3% |
| Count | 1,928 | 1,784 | -7.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.65 | 0.60 | -8.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Moorefield bearers went from 1,928 to 1,784 (-7.5% change). The surname moved down 510 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,250 to #15,760.
FAQ
Moorefield surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Moorefield?
Name Census estimates that about 2,046 living Americans carry the surname Moorefield. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 167,524 residents.
How common is Moorefield?
Moorefield ranks #15,760 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.60 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 1,784 people with the surname Moorefield. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,046), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.60 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 Moorefield.
Has Moorefield become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Moorefield went from 1,928 recorded bearers to 1,784. That is a decrease of 144 (-7.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #15,250 to #15,760.
What does the Census say about the background of Moorefield?
Among Census respondents with the surname Moorefield, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Black (8.8%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Moorefield in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.0% (1,516 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Moorefield appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.0%), Black (8.8%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Moorefield (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 Moorefield mean?
A habitational name derived from any of the various places named with the elements "moor" and "field". 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 Moorefield (0.60 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 Moorefield?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.