Mansfield History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms 

Origins Available: 
  England 
  Ireland 


The name Mansfield arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Mansfield family lived in Mansfield, a parish in Nottinghamshire. The place-name itself is a combination of Celtic and Anglo-Saxon terms, and literally signifies the field by the hill called Mam, from the Celtic word for a mother or a breast.

Early Origins of the Mansfield family

The surname Mansfield was first found in Nottinghamshire at Mansfield, a market town that dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 where it was listed as Mamesfelde. 1 The place name literally means "open land by the River Maun," from the Celtic river name + the Old English word "feld." 2 Looking back further, the area is known to date back to Roman times, with a villa discovered in 1787 by a Major Rooke and a cache of denarii coins found near King's Mill in 1849. Some claim the early English royalty were said to have stayed in the area, with the Mercian Kings using it as a base for hunting in the nearby Sherwood Forest.

Early History of the Mansfield family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mansfield research. Another 106 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1659 and 1666 are included under the topic Early Mansfield History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mansfield Spelling Variations

A multitude of spelling variations characterize Norman surnames. Many variations occurred because Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England also had a pronounced effect, as did the court languages of Latin and French. Therefore, one person was often referred to by several different spellings in a single lifetime. The various spellings include Mansfield, Manfield, Mansfeild and others.

Early Notables of the Mansfield family

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

Mansfield World Ranking

In the United States, the name Mansfield is the 1,588th most popular surname with an estimated 19,896 people with that name. 3 However, in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Mansfield is ranked the 738th most popular surname with an estimated 58 people with that name. 4 And in Australia, the name Mansfield is the 965th popular surname with an estimated 4,111 people with that name. 5 The United Kingdom ranks Mansfield as 812nd with 8,340 people. 6

Migration of the Mansfield family to Ireland

Some of the Mansfield 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.


Mansfield migration to the United States +

Many English families left England, to avoid the chaos of their homeland and migrated to the many British colonies abroad. Although the conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and some travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute, once in the colonies, many of the families prospered and made valuable contributions to the cultures of what would become the United States and Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Mansfield or a variant listed above:

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

Mansfield migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

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

Mansfield migration to Australia +

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

Mansfield Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mansfield 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:

Mansfield Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mansfield 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. 13
Mansfield Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Contemporary Notables of the name Mansfield (post 1700) +


Suggested Readings for the name Mansfield +
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