2000
#5,232
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,127
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.27
Rare Last name
Scofield
Derived from the Old English words "scoh" (shoe) and "feld" (field), referring to a person who lived near a field with a shed or shelter.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,745 Americans carry the last name Scofield. That puts it at #5,684 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.97 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 50,816 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Scofield 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Scofield with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.7K
1 in 50,816
Census rank
#5,684
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,882 bearers of the surname Scofield in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.97 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5684th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Scofield, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Scofield
The surname Scofield is of English origin, with roots tracing back to the early medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "sco" meaning wood or forest, and "feld" meaning field or open land. Thus, the name likely referred to someone who lived near a wooded area or a clearing in a forest.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Scofelde." This suggests that the name was already established in certain parts of England by the late 11th century.
During the Middle Ages, the spelling of the name varied significantly, with variations such as Schofield, Scofeld, and Scofeild appearing in various records and documents. These variations often reflected regional dialects and the inconsistencies in spelling conventions at the time.
In the 13th century, a prominent figure bearing the name Scofield was John de Scofeld, a landowner and knight who served under King Edward I. He was part of the English forces that fought in the Wars of Scottish Independence against William Wallace and Robert the Bruce.
Another notable individual with this surname was Sir Robert Scofield (c. 1545-1619), a wealthy merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1614. He was a key figure in the establishment of trade relations between England and the Ottoman Empire.
During the English Civil War in the 17th century, a Puritan minister named Samuel Scofield (1590-1672) gained recognition for his fiery sermons and his support for the Parliamentarian cause. He was a vocal critic of the monarchy and was briefly imprisoned for his views.
In the literary world, the name Scofield is associated with Cyrus Ingerson Scofield (1843-1921), an American theologian and minister who published the influential Scofield Reference Bible in 1909. This annotated study Bible provided extensive cross-references and commentary, and became widely popular among evangelical Christians.
Another historical figure with the surname Scofield was John Scofield (1776-1848), an American lawyer and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Connecticut in the early 19th century.
While the Scofield surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly through British emigration and colonization. Today, it remains a prominent surname in countries with significant British heritage, such as the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Scofield
Among Census respondents with the surname Scofield, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Scofield 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 Scofield surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.9% · 5,229
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 211
- Two or more races3.4% · 199
- Black or African American2.5% · 149
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 63
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 31
Timeline
Historical Census data for Scofield
Scofield 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
#5,731
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,048
-79 bearers (-1.3%)
Per 100,000 2.05
Rank movement Down 499 places
2020
#5,684
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,882
-166 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 1.97
Rank movement Up 47 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,232 | 6,127 | 2.27 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,731 | 6,048 | 2.05 | -79 bearers (-1.3%) | Down 499 places |
| 2020 | #5,684 | 5,882 | 1.97 | -166 bearers (-2.7%) | Up 47 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 Scofield 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 | #5,731 | #5,684 | 0.8% |
| Count | 6,048 | 5,882 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.05 | 1.97 | -4.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Scofield bearers went from 6,048 to 5,882 (-2.7% change). The surname moved up 47 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,731 to #5,684.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Scofield
FAQ
Scofield surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Scofield?
Name Census estimates that about 6,745 living Americans carry the surname Scofield. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 50,816 residents.
How common is Scofield?
Scofield ranks #5,684 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.97 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,882 people with the surname Scofield. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,745), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.97 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.97 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Scofield.
Has Scofield become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Scofield went from 6,048 recorded bearers to 5,882. That is a decrease of 166 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,731 to #5,684.
What does the Census say about the background of Scofield?
Among Census respondents with the surname Scofield, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Scofield in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.9% (5,229 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Scofield appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.9%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Scofield (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 Scofield mean?
Derived from the Old English words "scoh" (shoe) and "feld" (field), referring to a person who lived near a field with a shed or shelter. 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 Scofield (1.97 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 are called Scofield?
You can see how common the surname Scofield is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.