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![Show Contents]() Hifield History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 England
Early Origins of the Hifield familyThe surname Hifield was first found in West Sussex at Ifield, a parish, in the union of Horsham, hundred of Burbeach which dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 where it was listed as Ifelt. 1 The place name literally means "open land where yew-trees grom," from the Old English words "ig" + "feld." 2 The village, which is comprehended in the hamlet of Shinglewell, is situated on the line of a Roman road, traces of which are yet visible. 3 Ifield or Singlewell is also the name given to the area south of Gravesend in Kent. Originally a parish, in the union of North Aylesford, hundred of Toltingtrough, lathe of Aylesford, little is left today except a few houses south of the main road, and the tiny church of St Margaret. The family name was first referenced in the year 1198 when Scorland de Yfeld held estates in Kent. Early History of the Hifield familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hifield research. Another 77 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1455 and 1487 are included under the topic Early Hifield History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Hifield Spelling VariationsSound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Hifield family name include Ifield, Eyefield, Highfield, Ifold, Ifould, Hyfield, Hifield, Hyfold, Yfield, Yfeld and many more. Early Notables of the Hifield familyMore information is included under the topic Early Hifield Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Hifield familyFor political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Hifield surname or a spelling variation of the name include: the name represented in many forms and recorded from the mid 17th century in the great migration from Europe. Migrants settled in the eastern seaboard from Newfoundland, to Maine, to Virginia, the Carolinas, and to the islands..
- Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
- Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
- Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
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