Field History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms 

Origins Available: 
  England 
  Ireland 


The ancestry of the name Field dates from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It comes from when the family lived in the area that was near a field. This surname is a topographic name and is derived from the Old English word feld, which literally means the pasture or open country. 1

In this case, the bearer of the surname Field lived in an area of land that was cleared of forest.

Interestingly, "Field, or De la Felda embraces both English and Norman families. Richard de la Felda is mentioned in Normandy, temp John." [reign 1199-1216] 2 This duality of origin is indeed rare.

Early Origins of the Field family

The surname Field was first found in many shires and counties throughout Britain. Some of the earliest records show: Thomas atte Felde in the Writs of Parliament of 1301; William de la Felde in Gloucestershire during reign of King Edward I; and John de la Felde in Herefordshire at about the same time. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list Linot ate [atte] Feld and William a la Feld in Oxfordshire. 3

Robert de Felde was listed as a Templar in Gloucestershire in 1185 and Hugo de la Felde was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Bedfordshire in 1188. John del Feld was listed in Suffolk in 1190 and James atte Felde was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296. 4

Early History of the Field family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Field research. Another 69 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1407, 1519, 1520, 1530, 1542, 1546, 1549, 1554, 1558, 1560, 1561, 1574, 1577, 1579, 1582, 1583, 1587, 1588, 1592, 1599, 1606, 1609, 1616, 1620, 1624, 1625, 1633, 1636, 1640, 1676, 1782, 1837 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Field History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Field 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 Field have been found, including Field, Feild, Felde and others.

Early Notables of the Field family

Distinguished members of the family include

Field World Ranking

In the United States, the name Field is the 1,165th most popular surname with an estimated 27,357 people with that name. 5 However, in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Field is ranked the 560th most popular surname with an estimated 81 people with that name. 6 And in Australia, the name Field is the 348th popular surname with an estimated 10,432 people with that name. 7 New Zealand ranks Field as 287th with 2,105 people. 8 The United Kingdom ranks Field as 320th with 19,234 people. 9

Migration of the Field family to Ireland

Some of the Field family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 232 words (17 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Field 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 Field, or a variant listed above:

Field Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
Field Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
Field Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Field migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Field Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
Field Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Field migration to Australia +

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

Field Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Field 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:

Field Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Field migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 19
Field Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Contemporary Notables of the name Field (post 1700) +


Suggested Readings for the name Field +
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