Contents [hide]

Greenfield History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Greenfield History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Greenfield family

The surname Greenfield was first found in Suffolk where Peter de Grenefeld was listed in the Feet of Fines for 1242. Later, John de Grenefeud was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1296. The name literally means "dweller by the green field." 1

The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 including Willelmus Grenefeld and Elena Grenefeld as holding lands there at that time. 2

William of Greenfield (d. 1315), was "Archbishop of York and Chancellor, was of good family and a kinsman of Archbishop Walter Giffard, and of Bishop Godfrey Giffard of Worcester. The statement that he was born in Cornwall is probably due to a confusion of him with the Grenvilles. A more probable conjecture connects him with a hamlet which bears his name in Lincolnshire." 3

Indeed, Greenfield is a hamlet, "in the parish of Aby, union of Louth, Marsh division of the hundred of Calceworth, parts of Lindsey, county of Lincoln." 4

Early History of the Greenfield family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Greenfield research. Another 162 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1079, 1091, 1399, 1510, 1528 and 1600 are included under the topic Early Greenfield History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Greenfield Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Greenfield are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Greenfield include Greenfield, Greenfeild, Greenville, Greenvile and others.

Early Notables of the Greenfield family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

the Greenfield family of Devon

Greenfield Ranking

In the United States, the name Greenfield is the 2,863^rd most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 5

Greenfield migration to the United States +

Faced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Greenfield, or a variant listed above:

Greenfield Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Robert Greenfield, who settled in Virginia in 1635
Samuel Greenfield, who arrived in New England in 1635 6
Christopher Greenfield, who arrived in America in 1636
Barbara Greenfield, who settled in Boston in 1637
Mary Greenfield, who arrived in Boston in 1637
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Greenfield Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Charles Greenfield, who settled in Savannah, Georgia in 1733
Sarah Greenfield, who arrived in Savanna(h), Georgia in 1733 6
Charles Greenfield, who arrived in Georgia in 1738 6
William Greenfield, who landed in Georgia in 1738 6
Jesse Greenfield, who arrived in Mississippi in 1792

Greenfield Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Greenfield, who arrived in America in 1801-1802 6
Edward B Greenfield, who arrived in America in 1810 6
David Greenfield, who landed in New York in 1822 6
Robert Greenfield, who landed in New York in 1835 6
Anne Agnes Greenfield, who arrived in New York, NY in 1842
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Greenfield migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Greenfield Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Samuel Greenfield, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1749-1752

Greenfield migration to Australia +

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

Greenfield Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Greenfield, British Convict who was convicted in Essex, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Coromandel" on 27th October 1819, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 7
Mr. Robert Greenfield, British Convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for life, transported aboard the "Countess of Harcourt" on 8th April 1821, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8
Mr. John Greenfield, (Chalcroft), (b. 1808), aged 18, British Convict who was convicted in Sussex, England for 7 years for larceny, transported aboard the "Earl St Vincent" on 20th April 1826, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1826 9
Mr. William Greenfield who was convicted in Shropshire, England for life, transported aboard the "England"on 31st March 1832, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 10
Mr. William Greenfield, English convict who was convicted in Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Camden" on 21st September 1832, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Greenfield 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:

Greenfield Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

William Greenfield, aged 31, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Ann Wilson" in 1857
Susan Greenfield, aged 28, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Ann Wilson" in 1857
George Greenfield, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Ann Wilson" in 1857
Mary A. Greenfield, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Ann Wilson" in 1857
Mr. Thomas Greenfield, British settler travelling from Liverpool aboard the ship "Tornado" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 26th September 1859 12
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Greenfield (post 1700) +

Martin Greenfield (1928-2024), born Maxmilian Grünfeld, American master tailor, based in Brooklyn, New York, specializing in men's suits
Ruth Miriam Wolkowsky Greenfield (1923-2023), American concert pianist and teacher who through music broke racial barriers and brought together black and white students
Lee Greenfield (1941-2023), American politician who served in the Minnesota House of Representatives from 1979 to 2001
Veronica Greenfield (1943-2022), born Veronica Yvette Bennett, known as Ronnie Spector, an American singer who formed the girl group the Ronettes in 1957 with her elder sister, Estelle Bennett, and their cousin, Nedra Talley
Eloise Greenfield (1929-2021), American children's book and biography author and poet famous for her descriptive, rhythmic style and positive portrayal of the African-American experience
Elizabeth Greenfield (1824-1876), American singer
Richard "Ricky" Greenfield (1942-2014), American publisher, owner and publisher of the Jewish Ledger from 1994 until 2013
Jerry Greenfield (b. 1951), American co-founder and co-eponym of Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream company
Jeff Greenfield (b. 1943), American television journalist and author
Howard Greenfield (1936-1986), American songwriter
... (Another 31 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Greenfield family +

Empress of Ireland

Mrs. Ruth Greenfield (1849-1914), née Johnson Canadian Third Class Passenger from Toronto, Ontario, Canada who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 13

RMS Titanic

Mrs. Blanche Greenfield, (née Strouse), aged 45, American First Class passenger from New York City, New York who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the sinking escaping in life boat 7 14
Mr. William Bertram Greenfield (1888-1949), aged 23, American First Class passenger and businessman in the fur trade from New York City, New York who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the sinking escaping in life boat 7 14

USS Arizona

Mr. Carroll Gale Greenfield, American Seaman First Class from Oregon, 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 15

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-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)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
"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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/countess-of-harcourt
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th September 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-st-vincent
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 26th April 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/england
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 2nd December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/camden
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 16) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html
Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html