2000
#10,519
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,798
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.04
Rare Last name
Dangerfield
From a place called Dangerville in Normandy, or indicating someone who lived near a dangerous field or pasture.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,430 Americans carry the last name Dangerfield. That puts it at #10,253 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.00 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 99,928 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dangerfield 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 Dangerfield with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.4K
1 in 99,928
Census rank
#10,253
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,991 bearers of the surname Dangerfield in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.00 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10253rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dangerfield, the largest self-reported group is White at 46.8%. The next largest groups are Black (44.6%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dangerfield
The surname Dangerfield is of English origin, deriving from the Old English words "denger" meaning a villager and "feld" meaning an open field or clearing. It is believed to have originated in the region of Buckinghamshire, England, during the 11th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Dengerfelde." This entry refers to a village or settlement in Buckinghamshire, suggesting that the name was initially used to identify someone from that particular location.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various documents and records with spellings such as "Dengerfeld" and "Dengerfeild." This variation in spelling was common during that time, as standardized spellings were not yet established.
One notable bearer of the name was Sir Robert Dangerfield, a knight who lived in the late 14th century. He was known for his service to King Edward III during the Hundred Years' War against France.
Another prominent individual with this surname was John Dangerfield, a 17th-century English author and spy. He was born in 1644 and gained notoriety for his involvement in the Popish Plot, a supposed Catholic conspiracy to overthrow King Charles II.
In the 18th century, the name was associated with several places in England, such as Dangerfield Park in Buckinghamshire and Dangerfield Hall in Cheshire. These place names likely derived from the surname itself, further reinforcing its English origins.
Thomas Dangerfield, born in 1766, was a renowned British architect who designed several notable buildings, including the Guildhall in Bath and the Royal Pavilion in Brighton.
A more recent example is Rodney Dangerfield, the American comedian and actor born in 1921. Although his birth name was Jacob Cohen, he adopted the stage name Rodney Dangerfield, which became synonymous with his comedic persona and catchphrase "I don't get no respect."
Throughout its history, the surname Dangerfield has maintained a strong connection to its English roots, reflecting the heritage and origins of those who bore this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dangerfield
Among Census respondents with the surname Dangerfield, the largest self-reported group is White at 46.8%. The next largest groups are Black (44.6%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Dangerfield 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 Dangerfield surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White46.8% · 1,399
- Black or African American44.6% · 1,334
- Two or more races4.7% · 142
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 89
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dangerfield
Dangerfield 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
#10,424
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,087
+289 bearers (+10.3%)
Per 100,000 1.05
Rank movement Up 95 places
2020
#10,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,991
-96 bearers (-3.1%)
Per 100,000 1.00
Rank movement Up 171 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,519 | 2,798 | 1.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,424 | 3,087 | 1.05 | +289 bearers (+10.3%) | Up 95 places |
| 2020 | #10,253 | 2,991 | 1.00 | -96 bearers (-3.1%) | Up 171 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 Dangerfield 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 | #10,424 | #10,253 | 1.6% |
| Count | 3,087 | 2,991 | -3.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.05 | 1.00 | -4.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dangerfield bearers went from 3,087 to 2,991 (-3.1% change). The surname moved up 171 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,424 to #10,253.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Dangerfield
FAQ
Dangerfield surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dangerfield?
Name Census estimates that about 3,430 living Americans carry the surname Dangerfield. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 99,928 residents.
How common is Dangerfield?
Dangerfield ranks #10,253 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.00 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 2,991 people with the surname Dangerfield. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,430), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.00 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 Dangerfield.
Has Dangerfield become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dangerfield went from 3,087 recorded bearers to 2,991. That is a decrease of 96 (-3.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,424 to #10,253.
What does the Census say about the background of Dangerfield?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dangerfield, the largest self-reported group is White at 46.8%. The next largest groups are Black (44.6%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Dangerfield in the 2020 Census, accounting for 46.8% (1,399 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dangerfield appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (46.8%), Black (44.6%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Dangerfield (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 Dangerfield mean?
From a place called Dangerville in Normandy, or indicating someone who lived near a dangerous field or pasture. 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 Dangerfield (1.00 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 Dangerfield?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Dangerfield at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.