2000
#119,644
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 134
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Oberfeld
A German surname indicating one who lived or worked on the highland fields.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Oberfeld. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Oberfeld 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Oberfeld in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Oberfeld, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) and Black (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Oberfeld
The surname OBERFELD is of German origin, originating in the southern regions of Germany during the medieval period. The name is derived from the Old German words "ober," meaning "upper" or "higher," and "feld," meaning "field" or "open area." This suggests that the name likely referred to someone who lived or worked in an elevated field or meadow.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name OBERFELD can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from the former Kingdom of Saxony, dated around the 13th century. This indicates that the name was already in use during the Middle Ages.
In the 15th century, a notable figure named Hans OBERFELD was mentioned in the records of the city of Nuremberg, where he was a respected merchant and guild member. His son, Konrad OBERFELD, born in 1472, followed in his footsteps and became a prominent figure in the local trade community.
During the 16th century, the OBERFELD name gained recognition through the works of the scholar and theologian Johannes OBERFELD, who was born in Augsburg in 1516. He played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation and authored several influential religious texts.
In the 17th century, the name OBERFELD appeared in the registers of the University of Heidelberg, where a student named Friedrich OBERFELD was enrolled in 1642. This suggests that members of the family were pursuing higher education during that time.
Another noteworthy individual with the surname OBERFELD was Anna OBERFELD, a skilled weaver and textile artist who lived in the town of Freiburg im Breisgau in the late 18th century. Her intricate tapestries and embroideries were highly sought after by the local nobility.
As the name OBERFELD spread across different regions of Germany, variations in spelling and pronunciation emerged. Some examples include Oberfeldt, Oberfelt, and Oberfelde, reflecting the local dialects and regional influences on the name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Oberfeld
Among Census respondents with the surname Oberfeld, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) and Black (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Oberfeld 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 Oberfeld surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 108
- Hispanic or Latino6.8% · 8
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Oberfeld
Oberfeld 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
#129,047
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 132
-2 bearers (-1.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,403 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-14 bearers (-10.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,464 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #119,644 | 134 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #129,047 | 132 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.5%) | Down 9,403 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -14 bearers (-10.6%) | Down 14,464 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 Oberfeld 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 | #129,047 | #143,511 | -11.2% |
| Count | 132 | 118 | -10.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Oberfeld bearers went from 132 to 118 (-10.6% change). The surname moved down 14,464 positions in the national ranking, going from #129,047 to #143,511.
FAQ
Oberfeld surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Oberfeld?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Oberfeld. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Oberfeld?
Oberfeld ranks #143,511 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 118 people with the surname Oberfeld. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Oberfeld.
Has Oberfeld become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Oberfeld went from 132 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 14 (-10.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #129,047 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Oberfeld?
Among Census respondents with the surname Oberfeld, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) and Black (0.8%). 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 Oberfeld in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Oberfeld appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Hispanic (6.8%), Black (0.8%). 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 Oberfeld (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 Oberfeld mean?
A German surname indicating one who lived or worked on the highland fields. 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 Oberfeld (0.04 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 Oberfeld?
See how many Americans have the surname Oberfeld on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.