2000
#1,125
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 28,475
First available Census row
Per 100,000 10.56
Uncommon Last name
Whitfield
A locational surname referring to someone who lived near a white field or meadow.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 33,315 Americans carry the last name Whitfield. That puts it at #1,187 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 9.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 10,288 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Whitfield 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 Whitfield with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
33K
1 in 10,288
Census rank
#1,187
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
9.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
29K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 29,052 bearers of the surname Whitfield in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 9.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1187th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Whitfield, the largest self-reported group is Black at 47.5%. The next largest groups are White (43.1%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Whitfield
The surname Whitfield has its origins in England, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is a locational name derived from various places called Whitfield, which were scattered across England. The prefix "Whit" likely comes from the Old English word "hwit," meaning white, while the suffix "field" refers to an open area of land.
One of the earliest known references to the name Whitfield can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, which mentions a person named Henry de Whitefeld. In the late 13th century, the Whitfield surname also appeared in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire.
The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners and properties in England compiled in 1086, does not contain the exact spelling of Whitfield, but it does include similar place names like "Hwitfeld" and "Witfeld," which likely contributed to the eventual formation of the surname.
In the 14th century, the Whitfield name became more widespread, with records showing various spellings such as Whitefeld, Whytfeld, and Whitfelde. One notable individual from this period was John de Whitefeld, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1384.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Whitfield surname continued to gain prominence. Sir Walter Whitfield (c. 1530-1594) was an English politician and Member of Parliament for Guildford. Another notable figure was Ralph Whitfield (c. 1610-1675), an English Puritan clergyman and author.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, the Whitfield name spread further across England and beyond. George Whitfield (1714-1770) was an influential Anglican cleric and evangelist who played a pivotal role in the Methodist movement. Sir Henry Whitfield (1785-1866) was a British naval officer and explorer who charted parts of the Australian coastline.
Other notable individuals with the Whitfield surname include Robert Whitfield (1828-1909), an English-born Australian politician and merchant, and James Whitfield (1770-1819), an American lawyer and politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Kentucky.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Whitfield
Among Census respondents with the surname Whitfield, the largest self-reported group is Black at 47.5%. The next largest groups are White (43.1%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Whitfield 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 Whitfield surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American47.5% · 13,806
- White43.1% · 12,514
- Two or more races5.5% · 1,594
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 889
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 147
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 102
Timeline
Historical Census data for Whitfield
Whitfield 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
#1,171
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 29,962
+1,487 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 10.16
Rank movement Down 46 places
2020
#1,187
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 29,052
-910 bearers (-3.0%)
Per 100,000 9.72
Rank movement Down 16 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,125 | 28,475 | 10.56 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,171 | 29,962 | 10.16 | +1,487 bearers (+5.2%) | Down 46 places |
| 2020 | #1,187 | 29,052 | 9.72 | -910 bearers (-3.0%) | Down 16 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 Whitfield 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 | #1,171 | #1,187 | -1.4% |
| Count | 29,962 | 29,052 | -3.0% |
| Per 100K | 10.16 | 9.72 | -4.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Whitfield bearers went from 29,962 to 29,052 (-3.0% change). The surname moved down 16 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,171 to #1,187.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Whitfield
FAQ
Whitfield surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Whitfield?
Name Census estimates that about 33,315 living Americans carry the surname Whitfield. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 10,288 residents.
How common is Whitfield?
Whitfield ranks #1,187 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 9.72 per 100,000 residents, which is about 10 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 29,052 people with the surname Whitfield. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (33,315), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 9.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 9.72 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 10 of them to have the surname Whitfield.
Has Whitfield become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Whitfield went from 29,962 recorded bearers to 29,052. That is a decrease of 910 (-3.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,171 to #1,187.
What does the Census say about the background of Whitfield?
Among Census respondents with the surname Whitfield, the largest self-reported group is Black at 47.5%. The next largest groups are White (43.1%) and Two or More Races (5.5%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Whitfield in the 2020 Census, accounting for 47.5% (13,806 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Whitfield appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (47.5%), White (43.1%), Two or More Races (5.5%). 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 Whitfield (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 Whitfield mean?
A locational surname referring to someone who lived near a white field or meadow. 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 Whitfield (9.72 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 Whitfield?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.