2000
#17,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,490
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.55
Rare Last name
Stansfield
A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "stony field".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,797 Americans carry the last name Stansfield. That puts it at #17,611 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.52 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 190,737 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stansfield 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 Stansfield with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.8K
1 in 190,737
Census rank
#17,611
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,567 bearers of the surname Stansfield in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.52 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 17611th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stansfield, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stansfield
The surname STANSFIELD is of English origin, derived from a place name meaning "stony field" or "rocky pasture." It is thought to have originated in the West Riding of Yorkshire, England, during the medieval period.
One of the earliest known references to the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is recorded as "Stanefelde." This suggests that the name was already established in the region by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066.
Over time, the name evolved into various spellings, including Stansfeild, Stansfeld, and the modern Stansfield. These variations likely reflect regional dialects and local pronunciation differences.
In the 13th century, records show a Roger de Stansfeld holding lands in Yorkshire. This is one of the earliest documented instances of the surname in use.
Notable individuals with the surname STANSFIELD include:
1. Sir James Stansfield (1820-1898), an English industrialist and politician who served as a Member of Parliament.
2. Michael Stansfield (1928-2010), an American actor best known for his roles in television series such as The Fugitive and The Untouchables.
3. Clive Stansfield (1942-1992), an English footballer who played as a defender for clubs like Arsenal and Nottingham Forest.
4. William Stansfield (1768-1838), an English cotton manufacturer and philanthropist who founded the town of Stansfield in Yorkshire.
5. Jane Stansfield (1841-1897), a British writer and feminist activist who campaigned for women's rights and education.
The surname STANSFIELD has also been associated with various place names, such as Stansfield in Yorkshire, which likely derived its name from the original Old English term "Stanfelde."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stansfield
Among Census respondents with the surname Stansfield, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Stansfield 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 Stansfield surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 1,429
- Two or more races3.8% · 59
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 40
- Black or African American1.3% · 20
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stansfield
Stansfield 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
#16,536
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,736
+246 bearers (+16.5%)
Per 100,000 0.59
Rank movement Up 913 places
2020
#17,611
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,567
-169 bearers (-9.7%)
Per 100,000 0.52
Rank movement Down 1,075 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #17,449 | 1,490 | 0.55 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,536 | 1,736 | 0.59 | +246 bearers (+16.5%) | Up 913 places |
| 2020 | #17,611 | 1,567 | 0.52 | -169 bearers (-9.7%) | Down 1,075 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 Stansfield 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 | #16,536 | #17,611 | -6.5% |
| Count | 1,736 | 1,567 | -9.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.59 | 0.52 | -11.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stansfield bearers went from 1,736 to 1,567 (-9.7% change). The surname moved down 1,075 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,536 to #17,611.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Stansfield
FAQ
Stansfield surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stansfield?
Name Census estimates that about 1,797 living Americans carry the surname Stansfield. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 190,737 residents.
How common is Stansfield?
Stansfield ranks #17,611 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.52 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 1,567 people with the surname Stansfield. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,797), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.52 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.52 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 Stansfield.
Has Stansfield become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stansfield went from 1,736 recorded bearers to 1,567. That is a decrease of 169 (-9.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #16,536 to #17,611.
What does the Census say about the background of Stansfield?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stansfield, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Stansfield in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (1,429 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stansfield appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Stansfield (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 Stansfield mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "stony field". 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 Stansfield (0.52 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 Stansfield?
Want to know how many people are called Stansfield? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.