2000
#15,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,801
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.67
Rare Last name
Morefield
A surname derived from a place name meaning "moor field" or "open field".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,030 Americans carry the last name Morefield. That puts it at #15,844 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.59 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 168,845 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Morefield 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 168,845
Census rank
#15,844
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,770 bearers of the surname Morefield in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.59 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15844th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Morefield, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Black (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Morefield
The surname MOREFIELD is of English origin, with roots dating back to the medieval period. It is a locational name derived from the Old English words "mor" meaning "marsh" or "moor" and "feld" meaning "field." This suggests that the name originated from an area or region characterized by marshy or moorland fields.
The earliest recorded instances of the name MOREFIELD can be traced back to the 13th century in various county records and rolls. One notable example is the Yorkshire Feet of Fines from 1300, which mentions a John de Morefeld. This suggests the name's early presence in Yorkshire, a county known for its extensive moorlands.
In the Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire from 1327, a Richard de Morefeld is listed, indicating the name's presence in the West Midlands region during the 14th century. The varied spellings, such as "Morefeld" and "Moorefield," were common during this period due to the inconsistencies in written records.
MOREFIELD is also found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land and property commissioned by William the Conqueror. While the exact entry is unclear, it is believed that the name may have been recorded in relation to landholdings or manors in areas with moorland or marshy terrain.
Notable individuals with the surname MOREFIELD throughout history include:
1. Sir John Morefield (c. 1450-1515), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Worcestershire during the reign of Henry VII.
2. William Morefield (c. 1620-1691), an English Puritan minister and author who emigrated to New England in the 17th century.
3. Margaret Morefield (1761-1840), a British philanthropist and education advocate known for establishing schools for underprivileged children in London.
4. Thomas Morefield (1805-1887), an American soldier who served in the Mexican-American War and later became a prominent farmer and landowner in Missouri.
5. Emily Morefield (1867-1936), a British novelist and playwright whose works explored themes of social class and gender roles in Victorian England.
The surname MOREFIELD has also been associated with various place names, particularly in areas with moorland or marshy landscapes. For example, the village of Morefield in Gloucestershire, England, likely derives its name from the same Old English roots, reflecting the local terrain.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Morefield
Among Census respondents with the surname Morefield, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Black (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Morefield 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 Morefield surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.9% · 1,573
- Two or more races4.6% · 82
- Black or African American3.7% · 66
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 37
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Morefield
Morefield 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
#16,022
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,811
+10 bearers (+0.6%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Down 985 places
2020
#15,844
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,770
-41 bearers (-2.3%)
Per 100,000 0.59
Rank movement Up 178 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,037 | 1,801 | 0.67 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,022 | 1,811 | 0.61 | +10 bearers (+0.6%) | Down 985 places |
| 2020 | #15,844 | 1,770 | 0.59 | -41 bearers (-2.3%) | Up 178 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 Morefield 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 | #16,022 | #15,844 | 1.1% |
| Count | 1,811 | 1,770 | -2.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.61 | 0.59 | -2.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Morefield bearers went from 1,811 to 1,770 (-2.3% change). The surname moved up 178 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,022 to #15,844.
FAQ
Morefield surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Morefield?
Name Census estimates that about 2,030 living Americans carry the surname Morefield. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 168,845 residents.
How common is Morefield?
Morefield ranks #15,844 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.59 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 1,770 people with the surname Morefield. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,030), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.59 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.59 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 Morefield.
Has Morefield become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Morefield went from 1,811 recorded bearers to 1,770. That is a decrease of 41 (-2.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #16,022 to #15,844.
What does the Census say about the background of Morefield?
Among Census respondents with the surname Morefield, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Black (3.7%). 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 Morefield in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.9% (1,573 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Morefield appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.9%), Two or More Races (4.6%), Black (3.7%). 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 Morefield (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 Morefield mean?
A surname derived from a place name meaning "moor field" or "open 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 Morefield (0.59 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 common is the surname Morefield?
You can see how many people have the last name Morefield on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.