Somerfield History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

The Anglo-Saxon name Somerfield comes from when the family resided in the small English town of Somerford found in the county of Wiltshire.

Early Origins of the Somerfield family

The surname Somerfield was first found in Wiltshire where there is a Great Somerford and Little Somerford. Both date back to 937 when they were listed simply as Sumerford. By the time of the Domesday Book in 1086, the village was listed as Sumreford. The placename literally means "ford usable in the summer," from the Old English sumor + ford. 1 Somerford Keynes is located in Gloucestershire and that locale dates back further to 685 when it was listed as Sumerford.

Early History of the Somerfield family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Somerfield research. Another 71 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Somerfield History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Somerfield Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Somerfield include Somerford, Somerfield and others.

Early Notables of the Somerfield family

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

Somerfield migration to the United States +

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:

Somerfield Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

S Somerfield, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1855 2

Somerfield migration to Australia +

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

Somerfield Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Frederick Somerfield, a carpenter, who arrived in Van Diemen’s Land (now Tasmania) sometime between 1825 and 1832

Somerfield 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:

Somerfield Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

F. S. Somerfield, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Gertrude" in 1863 3
Mr. F.S. Somerfield, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Gertrude" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 9th February 1863 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Somerfield (post 1700) +

Stafford Somerfield, Editorial Consultant

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
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)
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 12th December 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html