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Show ContentsHadfield History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
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Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

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The name Hadfield has a long Anglo-Saxon heritage. The name comes from when a family lived in either of the places called Heathfield in Somerset or Sussex, or in one of the various settlements called Hatfield in Essex, Herefordshire, Nottinghamshire, Worcester, the East Riding of Yorkshire, or the North Riding of Yorkshire.

The place name literally means "heathy open land, or open land where heather grows," from the Old English "haeth" + "feld." The earliest village or parish with the name was registered in Saxon times in South Yorkshire in 731 when it was known as Haethfelth. 1

One source claims the name was derived from "hat, hot, Saxon, and field-from the hot sandy soil" 2 and yet another claims the name was derived from the "Anglo-Saxon Hæðfeld = the Heath-Field." 3

Another source claims the name was derived from the Old English "heathland, heather + feld" (pasture, open country) 4

Early Origins of the Hadfield family

The surname Hadfield was first found in Colchester, Essex where William de Hatfield was listed there 1119-1127. 5 The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list William de Hatfield in Essex and Agnes de Hatfield in Cambridgeshire at that time. Years later, Johannes de Haytefeld was listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. 6

Robert de Hattefeld was listed in the Feet of Fines for Yorkshire in 1343 and Thomas Hatfeld was listed in the Assize Rolls of London in 1412. 5

Thomas of Hatfield (d. 1381), was Bishop of Durham, and thought to have been the second son of Walter of Hatfield in Holderness. He seems to have entered the king's service at an early age, and was Keeper of the Privy Seal in 1343. 7

Early History of the Hadfield family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hadfield research. Another 78 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1119, 1640 and 1652 are included under the topic Early Hadfield History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hadfield Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Hadfield have been found, including Hatfield, Hatfeild, Hadfield and others.

Early Notables of the Hadfield family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Martha Hatfield (fl. 1652), 'The Wise Virgin,' daughter of Anthony Hatfield, by his wife Faith Westley, was born at Leighton, Yorkshire, 27 Sept. 1640. "The Hatfields were Puritans. In April 1652 Martha was seized with an illness which the physicians were unable to define, but which seems to have been a form of catalepsy. For seventeen days she lay stiff and was unable to speak, and it was said...
Another 76 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hadfield Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hadfield Ranking

In the United States, the name Hadfield is the 9,566th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 8

Ireland Migration of the Hadfield family to Ireland

Some of the Hadfield family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

United States Hadfield migration to the United States +

Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name Hadfield, or a variant listed above:

Hadfield Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • George Hadfield who settled in New England in 1802
  • George Hadfield, aged 36, who landed in Washington, DC in 1802 9
  • Robert Hadfield, who arrived in New York in 1843 9
  • Eliza Ann Hadfield, who arrived in New York in 1843 9
  • William Hadfield, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1851 9
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Australia Hadfield migration to Australia +

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

Hadfield Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • William Hadfield, English convict from York, who was transported aboard the "Albion" on May 17, 1823, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 10
  • Mr. Joseph Hadfield who was convicted in Chester, Cheshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Camden" on 21st March 1831, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 11
  • Mr. John Hadfield, English convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 24th March 1838, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 12
  • Miss Emma Hadfield, (b. 1825), aged 23, English servant who was convicted in Salford, Greater Manchester, England for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Elizabeth and Henry" on 11th February 1848, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 13

New Zealand Hadfield migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Hadfield Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mrs. Margaret Hadfield, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Joseph Fletcher" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 18th August 1859 14
  • Mr. Spencer Hadfield, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Joseph Fletcher" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 18th August 1859 14
  • Mr. Phillip Hadfield, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Joseph Fletcher" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 18th August 1859 14
  • Miss Caroline Hadfield, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Joseph Fletcher" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 18th August 1859 14
  • Mr. Henry Hadfield, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Spray of the Ocean" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 1st September 1859 15
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Hadfield (post 1700) +

  • George Hadfield (1763-1826), English born American architect who was superintendent of the United States Capitol's construction in 1795 16
  • William Hadfield (1806-1887), English writer on Brazil who entered commercial life in South America at a very early age, and spent some of the most important years of his life there 16
  • Matthew Ellison Hadfield (1812-1885), English architect, born at Lees Hall, Glossop, Derbyshire, 8 Sept. 1812, eldest son of Joseph Hadfield and of his wife 16
  • George Hadfield (1787-1879), English member of parliament and author, son of Robert Hadfield, manufacturer, by Anne, daughter of W. Bennett, born at Sheffield 28 Dec. 1787 16
  • Charles Hadfield (1821-1884), English journalist, son of Charles and Anne Hadfield, born at Glossop, Derbyshire, 14 Oct. 1821 16
  • Sir Robert Abbott Hadfield (1858-1940), English metallurgist, discoverer of manganese steel, one of the first steel alloys
  • Bernard Tom Hadfield (1934-1935), New Zealand rugby league player for the New Zealand National Team (1956-1961)
  • Chris Austin Hadfield (b. 1959), Canadian astronaut who has flown two space shuttle missions, former Royal Canadian Air Force fighter pilot,
  • Peter Robert Hadfield (b. 1955), former Australian Olympic athlete who competed in the decathlon
  • Clarence Hadfield (1889-1964), New Zealand Olympic rower
  • ... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Empress of Ireland
  • Mr. William James Hadfield (d. 1914), British Assistant Saloon Steward from United Kingdom who worked aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 17
HMS Prince of Wales
  • Mr. Harold Hadfield, British Stoker 1st Class, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 18
HMS Repulse
  • Mr. Frank William Hadfield, British Petty Officer Stoker, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and died in the sinking 19
  1. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  2. Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
  3. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  4. Hanks, Patricia and Flavia Hodges, A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988. Print. (ISBN 0-19-211592-8)
  5. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  6. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  7. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  8. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  9. 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)
  10. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Albion voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1823 with 200 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/albion/1823
  11. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 2nd December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/camden
  12. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 13th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
  13. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 15th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth-and-henry
  14. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  15. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  16. Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 June 2020
  17. Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 17) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html
  18. HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html
  19. HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html
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