2010
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Scurfield
A locative surname indicating someone from a place called Scorefield.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Scurfield. 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 Scurfield 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 Scurfield with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
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 Scurfield 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 Scurfield, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.2%. The next largest groups are Black (13.6%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Scurfield
The surname Scurfield originated in England and can be traced back to the early 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words 'scur' meaning a shower or brief rain, and 'feld' meaning a field or open area of land. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived or worked on a field that was prone to brief showers or rainy spells.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Scurfield appears in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire from 1279, which mentions a person named William de Scurefeld. This implies that the surname had already been established and was in use by that time.
In the 14th century, the name Scurfield appeared in various records and documents across different counties in England, including Essex, Oxfordshire, and Warwickshire. It was often spelled in slightly different ways, such as Scurefeld, Scureffeld, and Skurfeld, reflecting the variations in spelling and pronunciation common during that period.
Scurfield is also linked to several place names in England, such as Scurfield in Gloucestershire and Scurfield Leys in Oxfordshire. These place names may have influenced the development and spread of the surname in those areas.
One notable individual with the surname Scurfield was Richard Scurfield, born in 1609 in Staffordshire, England. He was a prominent Puritan minister and a member of the Westminster Assembly, a influential body that played a significant role in the English Civil War and the development of Presbyterianism in England and Scotland.
Another individual of note was John Scurfield, born in 1676 in Leicestershire, England. He was a respected scholar and author who wrote several works on theology and philosophy, including "A Treatise on the Soul of Man" published in 1721.
In the 18th century, a man named Thomas Scurfield, born in 1723 in Warwickshire, gained recognition for his work as a surveyor and cartographer. He was responsible for creating detailed maps of various counties in England, contributing to the advancement of cartography during that time.
William Scurfield, born in 1789 in Lincolnshire, was a prominent figure in the field of agriculture. He authored several books and pamphlets on farming practices and soil management, and his work was highly influential in promoting sustainable agricultural methods in the early 19th century.
Another noteworthy individual with the surname Scurfield was Mary Scurfield, born in 1832 in Yorkshire. She was a pioneering educator and advocate for women's rights, and she played a significant role in establishing several schools and educational institutions for girls in the latter half of the 19th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Scurfield
Among Census respondents with the surname Scurfield, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.2%. The next largest groups are Black (13.6%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Scurfield 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 Scurfield surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.2% · 97
- Black or African American13.6% · 16
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Scurfield
Scurfield appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+17 bearers (+16.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 16,201 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | +17 bearers (+16.8%) | Up 16,201 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 Scurfield 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 | #159,712 | #143,511 | 10.1% |
| Count | 101 | 118 | 16.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 31.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Scurfield bearers went from 101 to 118 (+16.8% change). The surname moved up 16,201 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #143,511.
FAQ
Scurfield surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Scurfield?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Scurfield. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Scurfield?
Scurfield 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 Scurfield. 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 Scurfield.
Has Scurfield become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Scurfield went from 101 recorded bearers to 118. That is an increase of 17 (+16.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Scurfield?
Among Census respondents with the surname Scurfield, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.2%. The next largest groups are Black (13.6%) and Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Scurfield in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.2% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Scurfield appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.2%), Black (13.6%), Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Scurfield (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 Scurfield mean?
A locative surname indicating someone from a place called Scorefield. 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 Scurfield (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 Scurfield?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Scurfield at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.