2010
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Smallfield
An English surname derived from a small cultivated field or enclosure.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Smallfield. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Smallfield 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
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Smallfield in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Smallfield, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Smallfield
The surname Smallfield is of English origin and is thought to have originated in the 13th century. It is a locational name, derived from a place called Smallfield, a small village in Surrey, England. The name is believed to have been taken from the Old English words "smæl" meaning narrow or small, and "feld" meaning field or open area of land.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Smallfield can be found in the Feet of Fines for Surrey, a legal document from 1278 that mentions a "Henry de Smalfeld". This suggests that the surname was already in use by this time and was likely derived from the village of the same name.
In the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1332, there is a record of a "John de Smalfeld", further cementing the use of the surname in the southern regions of England during the Middle Ages. The spelling variation "Smalfeld" was common in these early records.
The Smallfield surname appears to have been relatively rare throughout history, with only a handful of notable individuals bearing the name. One such person was John Smallfield, a 16th century English clergyman who served as the Rector of St. Michael's Church in Coventry from 1571 until his death in 1592.
Another noteworthy individual was William Smallfield, a 17th century English merchant and trader who was involved in the early colonization efforts in Virginia. He was born in 1624 and played a role in the establishment of settlements in the Virginia Colony.
In the 18th century, there was a Thomas Smallfield, a renowned English clockmaker who was active in London from 1750 to 1790. His clocks and timepieces were highly prized and are now considered valuable antiques.
Moving into the 19th century, a notable bearer of the Smallfield surname was Sir Henry Smallfield (1801-1879), a British civil engineer who was instrumental in the construction of several significant railway projects, including the London and Birmingham Railway.
Finally, in the early 20th century, there was Richard Smallfield (1892-1972), an English businessman and philanthropist who made his fortune in the textile industry. He was a prominent figure in the city of Manchester and was known for his charitable contributions to various educational and cultural institutions.
While the Smallfield surname may not be as widespread as some other English surnames, it has a rich history dating back to the Middle Ages and has been borne by individuals from various walks of life over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Smallfield
Among Census respondents with the surname Smallfield, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Smallfield 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 Smallfield surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.0% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Smallfield
Smallfield 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
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-9 bearers (-8.2%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 5,875 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | -9 bearers (-8.2%) | Down 5,875 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 Smallfield 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 | #149,395 | #155,270 | -3.9% |
| Count | 110 | 101 | -8.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Smallfield bearers went from 110 to 101 (-8.2% change). The surname moved down 5,875 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #155,270.
FAQ
Smallfield surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Smallfield?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Smallfield. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Smallfield?
Smallfield ranks #155,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 101 people with the surname Smallfield. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Smallfield.
Has Smallfield become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Smallfield went from 110 recorded bearers to 101. That is a decrease of 9 (-8.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #149,395 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Smallfield?
Among Census respondents with the surname Smallfield, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.0%). 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 Smallfield in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.0% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Smallfield appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.0%), Hispanic (1.0%). 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 Smallfield (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 Smallfield mean?
An English surname derived from a small cultivated field or enclosure. 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 Smallfield (0.03 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 Smallfield?
Want to know how common the surname Smallfield is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.