Cofield
A surname most likely shortened from a place name such as Cockfield, with the first element later reduced in spelling and sound.
The #6,396 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 58,046 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Cofield is most plausibly an English locational surname. The historical references point toward forms like Cockfield and related place-name spellings, with the surname probably arising as a reduced or altered version of that name. In this kind of surname, the first element is often softened over time, leaving a simpler form that still reflects a place-based origin.
History
The name appears in older surname dictionaries as a variant or shortened form linked to Cockfield and similar forms. Because the surviving evidence is brief and indirect, the exact pathway is not certain, but the surname fits a common English pattern in which local surnames are simplified in later records. It is found in the United States today, though it remains relatively uncommon.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname books sometimes treat Cofield and Coffield together, which suggests the spelling has long been unstable rather than fixed to one standard form.
From the historical record
“Belg. Or Couvain, Norm. A. Cofin ; a fam. n.; Fr. Coffin; a p. Cofield. See Coffield Coggan, Cogging. FI. Coghe. Irish Cogan ; p.n. Cogger. N. Kuggi (a cog) ; i”
— British Family Names: their origin and meaning (2nd ed.)