Bergfeld History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Bergfeld family

The surname Bergfeld was first found in Berkshire, where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, having prevailed over King Harold, granted most of Britain to his many victorious Barons. It was not uncommon to find a Baron, or a Bishop, with 60 or more Lordships scattered throughout the country. These he gave to his sons, nephews and other junior lines of his family and they became known as under-tenants. They adopted the Norman system of surnames which identified the under-tenant with his holdings so as to distinguish him from the senior stem of the family. After many rebellious wars between his Barons, Duke William, commissioned a census of all England to determine in 1086, settling once and for all, who held which land. He called the census the Domesday Book, 1 indicating that those holders registered would hold the land until the end of time. Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands of Burghfield, held by Henry de Ferrers, man at arms, Master of the Horse to the Duke of Normandy, from Ralph de Mortimer, a Norman Baron, who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086.

Early History of the Bergfeld family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bergfeld research. Another 38 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bergfeld History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bergfeld Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Burghfield, Burchfield, Birchfield, Berchfield, Berghfield, Birkfield, Burkfield, Bergfield and many more.

Early Notables of the Bergfeld family

More information is included under the topic Early Bergfeld Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bergfeld migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Bergfeld Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

A M Bergfeld, who landed in America in 1847 2

Historic Events for the Bergfeld family +

Bismarck

Werner Bergfeld (1922-1941), German Feuerwerksgefreiter who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 3
Ernst Bergfeld (1920-1941), German Matrose II who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 3

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Bismarck & Tirpitz Class - Crew List Bismarck. (Retrieved 2018, February 06). Retrieved from https://www.bismarck-class.dk/bismarck/crew/bismarck_crew.html#crew_details