Whitfield
A locational surname meaning “from the white field,” or in some cases “from Wheatfield.”
The #1,171 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 10,305 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Whitfield comes from Old English hwit, meaning “white,” plus feld, meaning “open field” or “cleared land.” It was used for someone who lived by or came from a place called Whitfield, literally a “white field”; some 19th-century writers also allowed that in certain cases it could mean “wheat field.” The name is therefore primarily a habitational surname tied to English place-names.
History
The surname appears in medieval records in forms such as Wytefeld and Whytefeld. English surname writers note several Whitfield place-names, and later sources connect some families, especially in Kent and Sussex, with descent from a medieval Whitfield family of Northumberland. The spelling Whitefield also occurs as a variant.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Whitfield is one of those surnames that can sound descriptive but is usually just a place-name in disguise.
From the historical record
“Nicholas de la Wytheg'. — Hund. Rolls. WHITFIELD (Eng.) Bel. to Whitfield; or Dweller at i the White Field [O.E. hwit 4- feld] 2 the Wheat-Field [O.E. hwckte -V feld] In our 1 3th-ccnt. Rolls this local surname occurs as Whytefeld and Wytefeld. WHITFORD (Eng.) Dweller at the White”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)Notable people named Whitfield
- Andy Whitfield (1971–2011)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.