A new method for deriving steady surficial core motions from geomagnetic field models is presented and applied. The original method determines the steady velocity field at the top of a frozen‐flux core which best fits, in both the spatial and temporal linear least squares sense, a model of the large scale geomagnetic secular variation (SV) at the base of a source‐free mantle [Voorhies, 1986]. The new method is based upon the same physical assumptions, but fits SV at earth's surface instead of the core‐mantle boundary (CMB). The newly derived flow differs somewhat from prior solutions, and shows but slight westward drift; however, other key global properties are virtually unchanged. Over a 15 year interval the new method provides a better fit to the time‐varying geomagnetic field at earth's surface than does