2000
#4,668
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,947
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.58
Rare Last name
Fielder
An occupational surname referring to a person who works in or manages fields or farms.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,747 Americans carry the last name Fielder. That puts it at #5,031 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 44,243 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fielder 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 Fielder with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.7K
1 in 44,243
Census rank
#5,031
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,756 bearers of the surname Fielder in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5031st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fielder, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.9%. The next largest groups are Black (17.0%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fielder
The surname Fielder originated in England in the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old English words 'feld' and 'dor', which together mean 'field door' or a door that leads to a field. This surname was likely given to someone who lived near a door or gate that opened onto a field.
One of the earliest recorded instances of this surname comes from the Pipe Rolls of Worcestershire in 1221, which mentions a William le Feldere. The Pipe Rolls were a record of financial accounts kept by the English Exchequer. This early spelling variation, Feldere, highlights the evolving nature of surnames during the medieval period.
The Fielder name also appears in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, a census-like record of landowners and their holdings. This document includes entries for a William le Felder in Norfolk and a John le Felder in Oxfordshire, further solidifying the surname's English roots.
In the 14th century, the surname appeared in various manorial records and court rolls across England. For example, a John Felder is documented in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire in 1317. Similarly, a Richard Felder is mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire in 1327.
Notable individuals bearing the Fielder surname throughout history include Sir Ralph de Felder (c. 1280-1345), a prominent landowner and knight from Hertfordshire. Another notable figure was John Fielder (c. 1650-1719), an English mathematician and surveyor who produced one of the earliest maps of Cambridgeshire.
Other prominent Fielders include Edmund Fielder (1659-1728), an English clergyman and author; Sarah Fielding (1710-1768), an English author and sister of the famous novelist Henry Fielding; and Thomas Fielder (c. 1781-1856), an English landscape painter known for his picturesque views of English countryside.
While the Fielder surname originated in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and settlement. However, its roots can be traced back to the medieval English countryside, where it was likely given to individuals who lived near a gate or door leading to a field.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fielder
Among Census respondents with the surname Fielder, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.9%. The next largest groups are Black (17.0%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Fielder 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 Fielder surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.9% · 4,855
- Black or African American17.0% · 1,146
- Two or more races4.8% · 325
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 277
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.6% · 105
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 48
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fielder
Fielder 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
#5,068
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,917
-30 bearers (-0.4%)
Per 100,000 2.34
Rank movement Down 400 places
2020
#5,031
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,756
-161 bearers (-2.3%)
Per 100,000 2.26
Rank movement Up 37 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,668 | 6,947 | 2.58 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,068 | 6,917 | 2.34 | -30 bearers (-0.4%) | Down 400 places |
| 2020 | #5,031 | 6,756 | 2.26 | -161 bearers (-2.3%) | Up 37 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 Fielder 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 | #5,068 | #5,031 | 0.7% |
| Count | 6,917 | 6,756 | -2.3% |
| Per 100K | 2.34 | 2.26 | -3.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fielder bearers went from 6,917 to 6,756 (-2.3% change). The surname moved up 37 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,068 to #5,031.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Fielder
FAQ
Fielder surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fielder?
Name Census estimates that about 7,747 living Americans carry the surname Fielder. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 44,243 residents.
How common is Fielder?
Fielder ranks #5,031 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.26 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 6,756 people with the surname Fielder. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,747), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.26 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 Fielder.
Has Fielder become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fielder went from 6,917 recorded bearers to 6,756. That is a decrease of 161 (-2.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,068 to #5,031.
What does the Census say about the background of Fielder?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fielder, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.9%. The next largest groups are Black (17.0%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Fielder in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.9% (4,855 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fielder appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.9%), Black (17.0%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Fielder (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 Fielder mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person who works in or manages fields or farms. 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 Fielder (2.26 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 Fielder?
If you just want to know how many people are called Fielder, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.