NameCensus.

UK surname

Cornfield

A locational surname referring to someone who lived near an area where corn was grown.

In the 1881 census there were 282 people recorded with the Cornfield surname, ranking it #10,148 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 423, ranked #11,344, down from #10,148 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Sedgley, Dudley and Bedwelty. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Birmingham, Dudley and Sandwell.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Cornfield is 470 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 50.0%.

1881 census count

282

Ranked #10,148

Modern count

423

2016, ranked #11,344

Peak year

1998

470 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Cornfield had 282 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #10,148 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 423 in 2016, ranked #11,344.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 310 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Cornfield surname distribution map

The map shows where the Cornfield surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Cornfield surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Cornfield over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 126 #14,626
1861 historical 115 #18,880
1881 historical 282 #10,148
1891 historical 244 #12,983
1901 historical 310 #11,393
1911 historical 296 #11,569
1997 modern 447 #10,128
1998 modern 470 #10,066
1999 modern 460 #10,293
2000 modern 458 #10,281
2001 modern 445 #10,327
2002 modern 447 #10,501
2003 modern 439 #10,487
2004 modern 448 #10,355
2005 modern 430 #10,575
2006 modern 430 #10,624
2007 modern 443 #10,467
2008 modern 447 #10,481
2009 modern 452 #10,629
2010 modern 455 #10,802
2011 modern 457 #10,651
2012 modern 437 #10,915
2013 modern 434 #11,158
2014 modern 434 #11,246
2015 modern 421 #11,435
2016 modern 423 #11,344

Geography

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Where Cornfields are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Sedgley, Dudley, Bedwelty, Dalton-in-Furness and Walsall. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Birmingham, Dudley, Sandwell and Highland. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Sedgley Staffordshire
2 Dudley Staffordshire
3 Bedwelty Monmouthshire
4 Dalton-in-Furness Lancashire
5 Walsall Staffordshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Birmingham 057 Birmingham
2 Dudley 025 Dudley
3 Sandwell 035 Sandwell
4 Highland Stirling
5 Birmingham 011 Birmingham

Forenames

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First names often paired with Cornfield

These lists show first names that appear often with the Cornfield surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Cornfield

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Cornfield, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Baseline UK

Group

Challenged Communities

Nationally, the Cornfield surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Cornfield household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Cornfield is most associated with areas classed as Established Homeowners with Children, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly British-born residents are typically married/in civil partnerships and own the properties in which they are raising their children. Parents are typically over 45, and many other residents are beyond normal retirement age. Detached and semi-detached houses predominate and multiple car ownership is common.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Cornfield is most concentrated in decile 7 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Cornfield falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Cornfield is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Cornfield, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Cornfield

The surname Cornfield is of English origin, deriving from the Old English words "corn" and "feld", which together mean a field where cereal crops are grown. It is a locational name, suggesting that the first bearers of this surname lived near or owned land used for growing corn or other grains.

Cornfield is a relatively uncommon surname, and its earliest recorded instances date back to the 13th century. One of the earliest documented references to this name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, where a person named Richard de Cornfeld is mentioned.

During the Middle Ages, variations in spelling were common, and the surname was sometimes recorded as Cornfelde, Cornfeild, or Cornfylde. These spellings reflect the historical pronunciation and the evolution of the name over time.

In the 16th century, a notable bearer of the Cornfield surname was John Cornfield, who was born in England around 1520. He was a renowned clergyman and author, known for his work "A True Treatise of the Broken Heart" published in 1583.

Another notable figure was Robert Cornfield, born in 1621 in Lincolnshire, England. He was a prominent merchant and landowner who played a significant role in the economic development of his region.

The Cornfield surname can also be traced to early settlers in the American colonies. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of Thomas Cornfield, who arrived in Virginia from England in 1635.

In the 18th century, William Cornfield, born in 1712 in Gloucestershire, England, was a respected architect and builder. He was responsible for designing and constructing several notable buildings in his local area.

The 19th century saw the rise of John Cornfield, born in 1822 in Yorkshire, England. He was a prominent industrialist and philanthropist, known for his contributions to the textile industry and his support for various charitable causes.

While the Cornfield surname is not among the most common surnames, it has a rich history and can be traced back to the agricultural roots of medieval England. Its bearers have made notable contributions in various fields throughout the centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Cornfield families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Cornfield surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Staffordshire leads with 100 Cornfields recorded in 1881 and an index of 10.81x.

County Total Index
Staffordshire 100 10.81x
Middlesex 35 1.28x
Worcestershire 29 8.10x
Lancashire 23 0.71x
Monmouthshire 19 9.59x
Cheshire 16 2.64x
Sussex 15 3.25x
Surrey 7 0.52x
Essex 6 1.11x
Glamorgan 6 1.26x
Lanarkshire 6 0.68x
Cumberland 4 1.69x
Leicestershire 4 1.32x
Northamptonshire 3 1.16x
Kent 2 0.21x
Gloucestershire 1 0.19x
Lincolnshire 1 0.23x
Midlothian 1 0.27x
Perthshire 1 0.81x
Renfrewshire 1 0.47x
Yorkshire 1 0.04x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. West Bromwich in Staffordshire leads with 31 Cornfields recorded in 1881 and an index of 58.52x.

Place Total Index
West Bromwich 31 58.52x
Dudley 29 66.64x
Walsall Foreign 25 52.30x
Barrow In Furness 18 40.69x
Birkenhead 16 33.17x
Sedgley 16 46.55x
Llanover 14 206.79x
Tipton 13 45.89x
Hackney London 12 7.81x
Heene 9 1125.00x
Stoke Newington London 9 42.15x
Croydon 7 9.44x
Islington London 7 2.63x
Brighton 6 6.44x
Llandaff 6 37.78x
Blantyre 5 54.17x
Willenhall 5 28.85x
Leicester St Margaret 4 5.40x
Liverpool 4 2.02x
Tottenham 4 9.16x
Wolverhampton 4 5.62x
Workington 4 29.61x
Westminster St Margaret 3 22.69x
Woodford 3 48.94x
Northampton St Sepulchre 2 15.24x
Ogley Hay 2 104.17x
Pelsall 2 72.73x
Upper Llanvrechva 2 64.94x
Walthanstow 2 222.22x
Abergavenny 1 13.48x
Birkdale 1 12.15x
Bradfield 1 9.55x
Chapel Hill 1 256.41x
East Newchurch 1 263.16x
Hamilton 1 4.04x
Layer Marney 1 370.37x
Northampton St Giles 1 10.18x
Paisley High Church 1 5.91x
Perth East Church 1 8.62x
Rugeley 1 15.06x
South Leith 1 2.42x
St Briavels 1 144.93x
St Lawrence 1 15.55x
St Swithin Lincoln 1 14.51x
Tonbridge 1 2.96x
Whittington 1 52.91x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Cornfield surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 24
Sarah 17
Ann 8
Eliza 7
Elizabeth 6
Hannah 6
Matilda 5
Emily 4
Florence 4
Catherine 3
Emma 3
Margaret 3
Annie 2
Ellen 2
Esther 2
Frances 2
Jane 2
Lily 2
Rose 2
Sarrah 2
Sushanah 2
Alice 1
Anne 1
Beatrice 1
Cate 1
Charlotte 1
Edith 1
Elizah 1
Eva 1
Fanny 1
Georgina 1
Harriet 1
Harriett 1
Harriot 1
Helen 1
Henrietta 1
Janet 1
Lilian 1
Louisa 1
Margaretta 1
Maria 1
Martha 1
Mina 1
Miriam 1
Myrah 1
Nancy 1
Phaebe 1
Priscilla 1
Selena 1
Theresa 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Cornfield surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 22
John 16
Thomas 13
George 10
Samuel 9
James 6
David 4
Albert 3
Enoch 3
Joseph 3
Alfred 2
Arthur 2
Benjamin 2
Charles 2
Edward 2
Emanuel 2
Frederick 2
Henry 2
Hugh 2
Levi 2
Theophilus 2
Wm. 2
Bernard 1
Daniel 1
Edwin 1
Erbert 1
Fred 1
Fredk. 1
Geo. 1
Jesse 1
Jessie 1
Jonah 1
Michael 1
Patrick 1
Percy 1
Richard 1
Simion 1
Simson 1
Stephen 1
Theo. 1
Tho. 1
Walter 1

FAQ

Cornfield surname: questions and answers

How common was the Cornfield surname in 1881?

In 1881, 282 people were recorded with the Cornfield surname. That placed it at #10,148 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Cornfield surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 423 in 2016. That gives Cornfield a modern rank of #11,344.

What does the Cornfield surname mean?

A locational surname referring to someone who lived near an area where corn was grown.

What does the Cornfield map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Cornfield bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.