Fields
A common English surname originally referring to someone who lived by, worked in, or came from the fields.
The #288 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 2,871 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Fields is the plural form of field, from Old English feld, meaning an open tract of land, pasture, or cultivated ground. As a surname, it usually began as a topographic name for someone who lived by the fields or in an area known for open land. In some cases it may also have been used more loosely for people from a place called The Fields or similar field-names.
History
Bardsley and related surname dictionaries treat forms like Acres and related names as local surnames from residence by fields or open land, which fits Fields as a straightforward topographic surname. It has remained especially common in England and later in English-speaking countries, including the United States. Because it is a very transparent word-name, it likely arose independently in more than one place.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
St. Martin-in-the-Fields in London preserves the old sense of 'the fields' as land beyond the city boundary.
From the historical record
“RUNACRES (Scand.) Dweller at i the Bush- Fields [O.N-. runn-r, a bush, shrub -|- akr (= O.E. eecer), a field (with late (Eng.) pi. -s] 2 the Rowan-Tree Fields [Dan.- Norw. ronne = Swed. ronn (earlier runn),”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)