Cofelt History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Cofelt

What does the name Cofelt mean?

The Anglo-Saxon name Cofelt comes from when the family resided in Cockfield, Durham or in Suffolk. Cockfield Hall is in Yoxford, Suffolk and was originally held by the Cokefeud family who had held it since the beginning of the 14th century.

Early Origins of the Cofelt family

The surname Cofelt was first found in Suffolk at Cockfield, a village and civil parish near Lavenham. This village is much older than the aforementioned Durham village at this one dates back to the 10th century when it was listed as Cochanfelde. The first record of the Durham village was in 1223 when it was listed as Kokefeld. 1 There are two possible meaning of the place names: "open land of a man called Cohha" derived from the Old English personal name + feld; and "open land frequented by cocks (of wild birds.)" 1

However, despite all of the above, we must look to Oxfordshire to find the first record of the family. For it is there that Lucia de Kokefled was listed in the Feet of Fines for 1198. A few years later, Robert de Cockfeld was listed in Cheshire in 1236-1247. 2

Early History of the Cofelt family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cofelt research. Another 128 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1170, 1198, 1275 and 1327 are included under the topic Early Cofelt History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cofelt Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Cofelt has been recorded under many different variations, including Cockfield, Cocksfield, Cofield, Coefield, Coffield and many more.

Early Notables of the Cofelt family

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

Migration of the Cofelt family

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Cofelt or a variant listed above: Ann Coffield who settled in New England in 1758 along with her husband William.

Sources +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)