Fields History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The ancestors of the Fields surname lived among the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. The name comes from when they 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 Fields 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 Fields family
The surname Fields 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 Fields family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fields 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 Fields History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Fields 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 Fields include Field, Feild, Felde and others.
Early Notables of the Fields family
Distinguished members of the family include Roger Felde (fl. 1407), of Hereford, an English politician, Member of the Parliament for Hereford in 1407; Sir James Field of West Harrow; and Edmund Feilde (Field) (1620-1676), an English barrister and politician, son of Thomas Feilde, rector of St Andrew's, Hertford.
John Field or Feild (1520-1587), 'Proto-Copernican' of England, son of Richard Field (d. 1542), was born, as is supposed, at Ardsley, in the West Riding of Yorkshire, between 1520 and 1530. "He lived in London at the date of his first ‘Ephemeris,’ and appears, from a remark in a manuscript in the Lambeth Library...
Another 290 words (21 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Fields Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Fields Ranking
In the United States, the name Fields is the 201st most popular surname with an estimated 126,837 people with that name. 5
Migration of the Fields family to Ireland
Some of the Fields 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.
Fields 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:
Fields Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- Samuell Fields, who arrived in Virginia in 1717 6
- Mary Fields, who landed in Virginia in 1750 6
Fields Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Frederick W Fields, who landed in Charleston, South Carolina in 1827 6
- Thomas Fields, who landed in Texas in 1835 6
- S Fields, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 6
- G Fields, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 6
- B Fields, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 6
Fields migration to Canada +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Fields Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
- Mrs. Rebecca Fields U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 7
- Mr. George Fields U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1786 7
Fields Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
- Daniel Fields, who arrived in Canada in 1833
- John Fields, aged 40, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Sea Horse" in 1833
Fields migration to Australia +
Emigration to
Australia followed the
First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:
Fields Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- Mr. Richard Fields, (b. 1791), aged 43, English convict who was convicted in Hereford, Herefordshire, England for life for stealing, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 27th September 1834, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1861 8
- Mr. William Fields, English convict who was convicted in York, Yorkshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Elphinstone" on 20th January 1836, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9
- George Fields, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Tory" in 1851 10
Contemporary Notables of the name Fields (post 1700) +
- Ernie Fields Jr. (1934-2024), American baritone saxophonist and session musician
- Bertram Harris Fields (1929-2022), American lawyer noted for his work in the field of entertainment law from Los Angeles, California
- Wilmer Clemont Fields (1922-2018), American Southern Baptist minister, public relations executive, newspaper editor and author
- Lew Fields (1867-1941), born Moses Schoenfeld, an American actor, comedian, vaudeville star, theatre manager and producer, half of the comic duo Weber and Fields
- Irving Fields (1915-2016), American pianist and lounge music artist, best known for his appearances on The Ilona Massey Show (1954-1955)
- Mark F. Fields (b. 1961), American businessman, President and CEO of Ford Motor Company (2014-)
- Landry Fields (b. 1988), American professional NBA basketball player for the Toronto Raptors
- Brandon David Fields (b. 1984), American NFL football punter for the Miami Dolphins
- Jackie Fields (1908-1987), born Jacob Finkelstein, an American gold medalist boxer at the 1924 Summer Olympics
- William Jason Fields (1874-1954), American politician, 41st Governor of Kentucky (1923-1927)
- ... (Another 72 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Historic Events for the Fields family +
USS Arizona
- Mr. Reliford Fields, American Mess Attendant Second Class from Florida, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 11
- Mr. Bernard Fields, American Radioman Third Class working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 11
Suggested Readings for the name Fields +
- The Fields Family: With Notes on Whitehall and Dodd by Ruth Fields Lewis.
- Notes on Fields and Congeneric Families of Ohio and Indiana, 1800-1982 by Elsie Fields Dawson.
Citations +
- Hargrave, Basil, Origins and Meanings of Popular Phrases & Names. London: T. Werner Laurie Ltd, Cobham House, 24 and 26 Black Friars Lane, 1949. Print
- The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- "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)
- Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elphinstone
- State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) TORY 1851. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1851Tory.htm
- Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html