2000
#11,055
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,638
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.98
Rare Last name
Redfield
A locational surname referring to someone living by a reed field or cleared land with reeds.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,062 Americans carry the last name Redfield. That puts it at #11,306 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.89 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 111,938 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Redfield 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
3.1K
1 in 111,938
Census rank
#11,306
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,670 bearers of the surname Redfield in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.89 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11306th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Redfield, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.8%. The next largest groups are Black (12.1%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Redfield
The surname Redfield is of English origin and dates back to the late 12th century. It is a locational name derived from the Old English words "read" meaning red, and "feld" meaning field or open land. This suggests the name originally referred to someone who lived near a red field or red land.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name is found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1198, which mention a William de Redfeld. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also list a John de Redefeld in Oxfordshire. These early spellings highlight the name's evolution from the original Old English words.
During the medieval period, the name appeared in various parts of England, including Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Norfolk. It is likely that the name emerged independently in different regions, as families often adopted surnames based on the local topography.
In the 14th century, records show a Robert Redefeld serving as a juror in Nottinghamshire in 1349. Additionally, the Poll Tax returns of 1379 list a John Redfeld in Yorkshire.
One of the earliest notable individuals with this surname was William Redfield, a prominent landowner in Wiltshire who lived in the late 15th century. His family's estates were located in the village of Redfield, which may have derived its name from the family themselves.
In the 17th century, a notable figure was James Redfield (1623-1711), an English Puritan minister who emigrated to New England and served as a pastor in Connecticut.
Another significant bearer of the name was John Redfield (1604-1660), a wealthy merchant and Member of Parliament during the English Civil War. He supported the Parliamentarian cause and was known for his staunch Puritan beliefs.
The 18th century saw the rise of John Redfield (1769-1839), a notable English architect who designed several churches and public buildings in London and the surrounding areas.
In the 19th century, William C. Redfield (1789-1857) was an American meteorologist and inventor who made significant contributions to the study of hurricanes and atmospheric dynamics. He developed the Redfield Criterion, a formula used to estimate the wind speed of a hurricane based on its central pressure.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Redfield
Among Census respondents with the surname Redfield, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.8%. The next largest groups are Black (12.1%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Redfield 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 Redfield surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.8% · 2,077
- Black or African American12.1% · 323
- Two or more races4.1% · 110
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 91
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 36
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 33
Timeline
Historical Census data for Redfield
Redfield 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
#11,443
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,752
+114 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 0.93
Rank movement Down 388 places
2020
#11,306
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,670
-82 bearers (-3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.89
Rank movement Up 137 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,055 | 2,638 | 0.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,443 | 2,752 | 0.93 | +114 bearers (+4.3%) | Down 388 places |
| 2020 | #11,306 | 2,670 | 0.89 | -82 bearers (-3.0%) | Up 137 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 Redfield 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 | #11,443 | #11,306 | 1.2% |
| Count | 2,752 | 2,670 | -3.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.93 | 0.89 | -3.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Redfield bearers went from 2,752 to 2,670 (-3.0% change). The surname moved up 137 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,443 to #11,306.
FAQ
Redfield surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Redfield?
Name Census estimates that about 3,062 living Americans carry the surname Redfield. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 111,938 residents.
How common is Redfield?
Redfield ranks #11,306 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.89 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 2,670 people with the surname Redfield. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,062), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.89 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.89 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 Redfield.
Has Redfield become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Redfield went from 2,752 recorded bearers to 2,670. That is a decrease of 82 (-3.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,443 to #11,306.
What does the Census say about the background of Redfield?
Among Census respondents with the surname Redfield, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.8%. The next largest groups are Black (12.1%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Redfield in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.8% (2,077 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Redfield appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.8%), Black (12.1%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Redfield (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 Redfield mean?
A locational surname referring to someone living by a reed field or cleared land with reeds. 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 Redfield (0.89 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 Redfield?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Redfield is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.