2000
#2,360
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,058
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.21
Uncommon Last name
Wakefield
A locational surname referring to someone from any of the places called Wakefield, meaning "field by the wake or stream."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 16,110 Americans carry the last name Wakefield. That puts it at #2,504 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 21,276 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wakefield 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 Wakefield with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
16K
1 in 21,276
Census rank
#2,504
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 14,049 bearers of the surname Wakefield in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2504th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wakefield, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.8%. The next largest groups are Black (13.4%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wakefield
The surname Wakefield originates from England and dates back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "wacian," meaning to watch or keep awake, and "feld," meaning a field or open area of land. The name likely referred to someone who lived near or was responsible for watching over a field or pasture.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Wakefield appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. This suggests that the name was in use by the late 11th century.
The surname is often associated with the town of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, which was established as a settlement during the Saxon period. It is possible that some early bearers of the name were from this area or had connections to it.
An early notable bearer of the surname was William Wakefield, who lived in the 13th century and was a renowned theologian and philosopher at the University of Oxford. He is known for his works on logic and metaphysics.
In the 15th century, John Wakefield was a prominent English prelate who served as the Bishop of Norwich from 1415 to 1425. He played a role in the resolution of the Western Schism, a period of conflict within the Catholic Church when multiple popes claimed authority.
During the Tudor period, Sir Richard Wakefield (c. 1494-1572) was a prominent English politician and served as Lord Mayor of London in 1536. He also held positions in the Worshipful Company of Grocers and was involved in trade with the Low Countries.
In the realm of literature, Rodney Wakefield (1890-1979) was a British author and poet known for his novels and works of poetry. He was born in Wiltshire and gained recognition for his depictions of rural life in England.
Another notable figure was Edward Wakefield (1796-1862), a British statesman and influential figure in the colonization of New Zealand. He was a key proponent of the "systematic colonization" approach, which aimed to establish planned settlements in the British Empire.
Throughout its history, the surname Wakefield has been associated with various locations, occupations, and individuals, reflecting its English origins and the diverse paths of those who bore this name over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wakefield
Among Census respondents with the surname Wakefield, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.8%. The next largest groups are Black (13.4%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Wakefield 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 Wakefield surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.8% · 10,930
- Black or African American13.4% · 1,879
- Two or more races4.2% · 596
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 456
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 122
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 66
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wakefield
Wakefield 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
#2,472
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,587
+529 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 4.95
Rank movement Down 112 places
2020
#2,504
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,049
-538 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 4.70
Rank movement Down 32 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,360 | 14,058 | 5.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,472 | 14,587 | 4.95 | +529 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 112 places |
| 2020 | #2,504 | 14,049 | 4.70 | -538 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 32 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 Wakefield 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 | #2,472 | #2,504 | -1.3% |
| Count | 14,587 | 14,049 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 4.95 | 4.70 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wakefield bearers went from 14,587 to 14,049 (-3.7% change). The surname moved down 32 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,472 to #2,504.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Wakefield
FAQ
Wakefield surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wakefield?
Name Census estimates that about 16,110 living Americans carry the surname Wakefield. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 21,276 residents.
How common is Wakefield?
Wakefield ranks #2,504 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.70 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 14,049 people with the surname Wakefield. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (16,110), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.70 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Wakefield.
Has Wakefield become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wakefield went from 14,587 recorded bearers to 14,049. That is a decrease of 538 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,472 to #2,504.
What does the Census say about the background of Wakefield?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wakefield, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.8%. The next largest groups are Black (13.4%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Wakefield in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.8% (10,930 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wakefield appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.8%), Black (13.4%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Wakefield (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 Wakefield mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from any of the places called Wakefield, meaning "field by the wake or stream." 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 Wakefield (4.70 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 Americans have the surname Wakefield?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.