Hartfield
A locational surname from Hartfield in Sussex, literally meaning “deer field.”
The #9,578 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 90,968 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Hartfield is a habitational surname taken from Hartfield, a parish in Sussex. The place-name is usually explained as Old English heorot, meaning “hart” or male deer, plus feld, meaning “open country” or “field,” so the sense is “deer field” or “open land frequented by deer.” As with many English surnames, the family name simply identifies someone who came from that place.
History
The surname belongs to the broad class of English locational surnames formed from parish and village names. It appears in older surname dictionaries as a Sussex place-name, and its meaning has stayed fairly stable. In modern use it is relatively uncommon, but the spelling is clear and conservative, which helps preserve the place-based origin.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same Old English element hart appears in many English place-names associated with deer or hunting grounds.
From the historical record
“B.L.G. HARTFIELD. A parish in Sussex. HARTIXG. A parish in Sussex. HARTLAND. A town in Devonshire. HARTLEY. Places in cos. Kent, Nor- thumb., Westmoreland, Hants, Berks, &c. HARTOX. Townships in cos. Chester and York.”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom