Show ContentsRayfield History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Rayfield family

The surname Rayfield was first found in Dumfriesshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Dhùn Phris), a Southern area, bordering on England that today forms part of the Dumfries and Galloway Council Area, where they held a family seat from early times and their first records appeared on the early census rolls taken by the early Kings of Scotland to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.

Arthur J. Raffles is a British fictional character (a cricketer and gentleman thief) created by E. W. Hornung, who appeared in 26 short stories, two plays and a novel between 1898 and 1909.

Early History of the Rayfield family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rayfield research. Another 123 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1215 and 1361 are included under the topic Early Rayfield History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rayfield Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Raffle, Raffles, Rayffles, Rayfles, Raveles, Rafvles, Raiffles and many more.

Early Notables of the Rayfield family

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

Rayfield Ranking

In the United States, the name Rayfield is the 9,402nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1


United States Rayfield migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Rayfield Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • William J Rayfield, who landed in America in 1803 2
Rayfield Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Mrs. Rayfield, aged 24, who landed in America, in 1910
  • John Rayfield, aged 33, who landed in America, in 1918
  • James Rayfield, aged 18, who immigrated to America, in 1919
  • Thomas Rayfield, aged 16, who immigrated to the United States from England, in 1919
  • Frederick Rayfield, aged 28, who landed in America, in 1920
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Rayfield migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Rayfield Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century
  • Anne Rayfield, aged 31, who immigrated to Toronto, Canada, in 1914
  • Pearl Rayfield, who settled in Toronto, Canada, in 1914

Contemporary Notables of the name Rayfield (post 1700) +

  • Wallace A. Rayfield (1874-1941), the second formally educated practicing African American architect in the United States
  • Private Walter Leigh Rayfield VC (1881-1949), Canadian recipient of the Victoria Cross during the First World War 3
  • Lee Stephen Rayfield (b. 1955), British former Lecturer in Immunology at the University of London
  • Emily Rayfield, British palaeontologist
  • Donald Rayfield (b. 1942), professor of Russian and Georgian at the University of London
  • Louis Rayfield Purnell Sr. (1920-2001), American curator and Tuskegee Airman, the first African-American to become a curator at the Smithsonian Institution, awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal with six Oak Leaf Clusters
  • Larry Rayfield Wright (1945-2022), American NFL football offensive tackle for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, having been inducted in 2006
  • Rayfield Wright (b. 1945), American football player


The Rayfield Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: In cruce triumphans
Motto Translation: Triumphing in the cross.


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)
  3. Walter Rayfield. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) Walter Rayfield. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Leigh_Rayfield


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