Littlefield
A surname most often understood as “little field,” from a place-name or a field with a small size or narrow extent.
The #3,670 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 31,806 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname is generally explained as coming from the element little plus field, literally meaning “small field.” In the historical sources, Lower specifically treats Littlefield as a place in Kent that gave rise to a surname. In practice, that makes it a locational name: someone could have taken the name from a place called Littlefield or from living by a little field.
History
The name appears in English surname collections as a place-based formation and later turns up in American records. It fits a very common English naming pattern in which people were identified by the size or character of the land near their home. The surname is established in the United States and is especially visible in New England and later American usage.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Lower’s 1860 dictionary explicitly lists Littlefield as a place in Kent that gave a family name, which is a nice reminder that many surnames began as tiny location labels.
From the historical record
“LITTLEFEAR. A man of courage. LITTLEFIELD. A place in Kent giving name to a hundred. LITTLEIIEAD. 1 . From some j)romoa- torij so called, 2. From the smallness of LLE 197”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom