Contents [hide]

Byfield History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Byfield History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Anglo-Saxon name Byfield comes from the family having resided in Northamptonshire, where the name is associated with the village of Byfield. In the Domesday Book of 1086, Byfield was recorded as lands held by Hugh de Grandmesnil and Earl Hugh. 1

The place name literally means "place by the open country," from the Old English "bi" + "feld." 2

Early Origins of the Byfield family

The surname Byfield was first found in Northamptonshire, at Byfield, a parish, in the union of Daventry, hundred of Chipping-Warden. 3 4 5

One of the first records of the family was found in Norfolk where Nigel de Bifeld was listed in the Feet of Fines for 1202. Later Robert de Byfeld was listed in the Assize Rolls for Northamptonshire in 1314-1316. Later again, Adam Byfelde was found in Gloucestershire in 1367. 6

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included an entry for John de Byfeld, but no county was provided for this entry. 7

Early History of the Byfield family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Byfield research. Another 178 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1273, 1367, 1579, 1596, 1597, 1598, 1615, 1616, 1622, 1643, 1654, 1660, 1664, 1665 and 1741 are included under the topic Early Byfield History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Byfield Spelling Variations

Byfield has been spelled many different ways. Before English spelling became standardized over the last few hundred years, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. As the English language changed in the Middle Ages, absorbing pieces of Latin and French, as well as other languages, the spelling of people's names also changed considerably, even over a single lifetime. Spelling variants included: Byfield, Byfeld, Byfelde, Byfild, Byfielde, Bifield and many more.

Early Notables of the Byfield family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

Nicholas Byfield (1579-1622), a prominent Puritan minister and writer. He was a native of Warwickshire, son by his first wife of Richard Byfield, who became vicar of Stratford-on-Avon in January 1597...
Richard Byfield (c.1598-1664), the English clergyman and Sabbatarian controversialist was a native of Worcestershire. He was probably born in 1598; since his father became vicar of Stratford-on-Avon i...
Adoniram Byfield or Bifield (d. 1660), was an English clergyman, one of the scribes to the Westminster Assembly. He was the third son of Nicholas Byfield [q. v.], and was probably born before 1615. He...
John Byfield, was a famous 19th century wood engraver

Byfield Ranking

In the United States, the name Byfield is the 17,418^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 8

Byfield migration to the United States +

In an attempt to escape the chaos experienced in England, many English families boarded overcrowded and diseased ships sailing for the shores of North America and other British colonies. Those families hardy enough, and lucky enough, to make the passage intact were rewarded with land and a social environment less prone to religious and political persecution. Many of these families became important contributors to the young colonies in which they settled. Early immigration and passenger lists have documented some of the first Byfields to arrive on North American shores:

Byfield Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Nathaniel Byfield, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1674 9

Byfield Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Robert Byfield who arrived in America in 1766

Byfield Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Ada Byfield, aged 22, who immigrated to America, in 1905
Catherine Byfield, aged 43, who landed in America from Birmingham, England, in 1920
David Byfield, aged 50, who settled in America, in 1920
Allen Byfield, aged 19, who landed in America, in 1922
Annie Byfield, aged 31, who immigrated to the United States from London, England, in 1922
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Byfield migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Byfield Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

Edward Byfield, aged 65, who immigrated to Toronto, Canada, in 1914
Ada Byfield, aged 55, who settled in Ottawa, Canada, in 1922

Byfield migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Byfield Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Byfield, English convict who was convicted in Kent, England for life, transported aboard the "Exmouth" on 3rd March 1831, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
Mr. John Byfield, (b. 1817), aged 19, English convict who was convicted in Ely, Cambridgeshire, England for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Elphinstone" on 20th January 1836, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1886 11

Contemporary Notables of the name Byfield (post 1700) +

Barbara Ninde Byfield (1930-1988), née Ninde, an American author and illustrator
Ernest Lessing "Ernie" Byfield (1890-1950), American hotelier and restaurateur who was active from the 1930s through the 1950s in Chicago, Illinois
Darren Asherton Byfield (b. 1976), English professional footballer
Edward Bartlett "Ted" Byfield (1928-2021), Canadian journalist, publisher, and editor who founded the Alberta Report, BC Report and Western Report newsmagazines
Trevor "Zig" Byfield (1943-2017), British actor, most recently known for his role as Reg in EastEnders in 2010
Allan George Richard Byfield (b. 1913), Jamaican school teacher and politician, Senator of the West Indies Federation (1958-1962), and President of the Senate of Jamaica (1972-1980)
Bruce Byfield (b. 1958), Canadian journalist who specializes in writing about free and open source software
Shadrack Byfield (1789-1874), British infantryman who served in the 41st Regiment during the War of 1812, best known for his memoir of his wartime experiences, "A Narrative of a Light Company Soldier's Service"
Althea Latoya Byfield (b. 1982), Jamaican three-time bronze medalist international basketball and netball player
Eric Linkord "Link" Byfield (1951-2015), Canadian news columnist, author and politician, founder of the Citizens Centre for Freedom and Democracy
... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th May 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/exmouth
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elphinstone