NameCensus.

UK surname

Fields

An English topographic surname referring to someone who lived or worked on land cleared of forest.

In the 1881 census there were 1,436 people recorded with the Fields surname, ranking it #2,900 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 2,530, ranked #2,615, up from #2,900 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry, Manchester and Tidworth, North. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Rotherham, North Norfolk and Leeds.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Fields is 2,541 in 2014. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 76.2%.

1881 census count

1,436

Ranked #2,900

Modern count

2,530

2016, ranked #2,615

Peak year

2014

2,541 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Fields had 1,436 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #2,900 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 2,530 in 2016, ranked #2,615.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,601 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Fields surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Fields surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Fields 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 1,032 #2,711
1861 historical 1,139 #2,470
1881 historical 1,436 #2,900
1891 historical 1,470 #2,993
1901 historical 1,503 #3,412
1911 historical 1,601 #3,039
1997 modern 2,301 #2,701
1998 modern 2,386 #2,715
1999 modern 2,412 #2,711
2000 modern 2,359 #2,748
2001 modern 2,319 #2,739
2002 modern 2,400 #2,712
2003 modern 2,318 #2,739
2004 modern 2,330 #2,721
2005 modern 2,306 #2,716
2006 modern 2,283 #2,737
2007 modern 2,298 #2,748
2008 modern 2,297 #2,774
2009 modern 2,395 #2,738
2010 modern 2,479 #2,719
2011 modern 2,484 #2,686
2012 modern 2,458 #2,664
2013 modern 2,512 #2,651
2014 modern 2,541 #2,641
2015 modern 2,502 #2,653
2016 modern 2,530 #2,615

Geography

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Where Fields' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry, Manchester, Tidworth, North, Liverpool and Sheffield. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Rotherham, North Norfolk, Leeds, Lincoln and Sheffield. 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 Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry Forfar
2 Manchester Lancashire
3 Tidworth, North Hampshire
4 Liverpool Lancashire
5 Sheffield Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Rotherham 030 Rotherham
2 North Norfolk 001 North Norfolk
3 Leeds 101 Leeds
4 Lincoln 004 Lincoln
5 Sheffield 072 Sheffield

Forenames

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First names often paired with Fields

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Fields

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Fields, 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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Fields surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Fields household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Fields is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. 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

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Fields is most concentrated in decile 9 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

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

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Fields 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 Fields 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 Fields, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Fields

The surname Fields originated in England. It is a topographic surname that refers to a person who lived near an open field or clearing in a wooded area. The name likely developed around the 11th century and is derived from the Old English word "feld," meaning an open space or pasture.

The surname can be found in early records, such as the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "de la Felde." This early spelling reflects the French Norman influence on English names following the Norman Conquest of 1066.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname is William del Feld, who is mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Nottinghamshire in 1195. Another early record is that of John atte Felde, found in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1327.

The Fields surname is also connected to various place names in England, such as Field Town in Shropshire and Field Dalling in Norfolk. These place names likely originated from the Old English words "feld" and "dæl," meaning a field or valley.

Notable individuals with the surname Fields include the following:

1. Walter Fields (c. 1535-1616), an English Puritan minister and one of the first settlers in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. 2. Nathaniel Fields (1587-1633), an English playwright and actor during the Jacobean era. 3. Mary Fields (c. 1832-1914), an African-American woman who worked as a mail carrier and stagecoach driver in the American West, known as "Stagecoach Mary." 4. W.C. Fields (1880-1946), an American comedian, actor, and writer, best known for his comic persona as a misanthropic and hard-drinking con man. 5. Artur Fielding (1905-1991), a Polish-born British actor who appeared in numerous films and television shows throughout the mid-20th century.

The surname Fields continues to be widespread in English-speaking countries, particularly in the United States and the United Kingdom, reflecting its long history and origins in the English language and culture.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Fields families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Fields 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. Yorkshire leads with 270 Fields' recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.94x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 270 1.94x
Lincolnshire 204 9.09x
Lancashire 118 0.71x
Middlesex 94 0.67x
Norfolk 83 3.85x
Warwickshire 57 1.61x
Surrey 41 0.60x
Wiltshire 41 3.30x
Durham 40 0.96x
Bedfordshire 33 4.54x
Northamptonshire 28 2.12x
Oxfordshire 28 3.23x
Staffordshire 27 0.57x
Derbyshire 26 1.18x
Essex 25 0.90x
Somerset 24 1.06x
Gloucestershire 23 0.84x
Cambridgeshire 22 2.47x
Nottinghamshire 21 1.11x
Renfrewshire 21 1.93x
Sussex 17 0.72x
Northumberland 15 0.72x
Hampshire 14 0.49x
Cheshire 13 0.42x
Ayrshire 11 1.05x
Buckinghamshire 11 1.30x
Kent 11 0.23x
Angus 10 0.77x
Dunbartonshire 10 2.65x
Stirlingshire 9 1.74x
Leicestershire 8 0.51x
Herefordshire 7 1.22x
Lanarkshire 7 0.15x
Monmouthshire 7 0.69x
West Lothian 7 3.31x
Denbighshire 6 1.13x
Devon 6 0.21x
Huntingdonshire 6 2.15x
Pembrokeshire 6 1.35x
Cumberland 5 0.41x
Shropshire 5 0.41x
Suffolk 5 0.29x
Worcestershire 3 0.16x
Glamorgan 2 0.08x
Midlothian 2 0.11x
Perthshire 2 0.32x
Royal Navy 2 1.20x
Aberdeenshire 1 0.08x
Berkshire 1 0.09x
Fife 1 0.12x
Hertfordshire 1 0.10x
Kirkcudbrightshire 1 0.49x
Roxburghshire 1 0.39x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Sheffield in Yorkshire leads with 52 Fields' recorded in 1881 and an index of 11.74x.

Place Total Index
Sheffield 52 11.74x
Fifield 23 1932.77x
Liverpool 20 1.98x
Holy Trinity 19 5.68x
Birmingham 18 1.53x
Kirkdale 17 6.07x
Abbey 15 9.04x
Aylburton 15 479.23x
Scarborough 15 11.87x
Brightside Bierlow 14 5.13x
Camberwell 14 1.56x
Leominster 14 183.49x
St Martin Lincoln 14 67.24x
Chippenham 13 49.94x
Friskney 12 168.30x
Great Yarmouth 12 6.71x
Biggleswade 11 46.22x
Holbeach 11 44.00x
Beith 10 31.90x
Broxholme 10 1818.18x
Burton Dassett 10 319.49x
Headingley Cum Burley 10 11.17x
March 10 33.59x
Mile End Old Town London 10 3.35x
New Kilpatrick 10 27.87x
Worksop 10 17.82x
Yatton Keynell 10 395.26x
Battersea 9 1.74x
Chesterfield 9 10.92x
Epworth 9 85.96x
Hackney London 9 1.14x
Hevingham 9 245.23x
Hunslet 9 4.15x
Ince In Makerfield 9 11.61x
Middleton St George 9 172.08x
Nettleham 9 195.65x
St Paul Lincoln 9 229.01x
Stockport 9 5.64x
Wolstanton 9 6.25x
Bow London 8 4.48x
Bradford 8 2.38x
Doncaster 8 7.87x
Gainsborough 8 15.12x
Great Hallingbury 8 264.90x
Harpham 8 677.97x
Heigham 8 6.91x
Louth 8 15.55x
Manchester 8 1.07x
New Malton 8 48.11x
North Walsham 8 51.41x
Potsgrove 8 816.33x
Rusholme 8 18.01x
Stroud 8 14.93x
Wednesbury 8 6.76x
Wellingborough 8 12.05x
Bridgewater 7 11.41x
Hoyland Swaine 7 194.44x
Kimberworth 7 9.07x
Kingsbury 7 191.78x
Llanvihangel Llantarnam 7 36.18x
Longbenton 7 7.91x
Middlestone 7 83.53x
Mile End New Town London 7 25.24x
Muiravonside 7 53.23x
North Tidworth 7 588.24x
Nottingham St Mary 7 1.43x
Peterborough 7 7.32x
Scarisbrick 7 36.19x
Sheringham 7 125.90x
Stowe Nine Churches 7 569.11x
Thorne 7 40.58x
Tupsley 7 143.15x
Tynemouth 7 6.26x
Uphall 7 30.11x
Wolstanton Knutton 7 24.20x
Dewsbury 6 4.21x
Gorton 6 3.83x
Rotherham 6 7.65x
St Pancras London 6 0.53x
Stretford 6 6.55x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 75
Sarah 65
Elizabeth 41
Ann 36
Annie 32
Eliza 26
Jane 24
Emma 20
Ellen 18
Alice 15
Hannah 15
Margaret 14
Martha 14
Ada 11
Charlotte 11
Fanny 11
Emily 10
Harriet 8
Caroline 7
Rose 7
Edith 6
Florence 6
Lucy 6
Minnie 6
Susannah 6
Amelia 5
Anne 5
Betsy 5
Catherine 5
Clara 5
Elizth. 5
Esther 5
Frances 5
Louisa 5
Maria 5
Ruth 5
Selina 5
Agnes 4
Isabella 4
Julia 4
Kate 4
Rebecca 4
Amy 3
Anna 3
Eleanor 3
Harriett 3
Jessie 3
Lydia 3
Susan 3
Violet 2

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 99
John 81
George 63
Charles 41
Thomas 41
James 36
Joseph 32
Henry 19
Samuel 17
Frederick 13
Walter 13
Edward 11
Robert 11
Arthur 10
Herbert 10
Albert 9
Frank 9
Benjamin 8
David 8
Harry 7
Alfred 6
Michael 5
Fredk. 4
Richard 4
Wm. 4
Chas. 3
Daniel 3
Ernest 3
Fredrick 3
Thos. 3
Abraham 2
Christopher 2
Edmund 2
Elias 2
Francis 2
Fred 2
Geo. 2
Isaac 2
Jas. 2
Jno. 2
Joshua 2
Lewis 2
Matthew 2
Miles 2
Patrick 2
Philip 2
Shadrach 2
Solomon 2
Stephen 2
Willm. 2

FAQ

Fields surname: questions and answers

How common was the Fields surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,436 people were recorded with the Fields surname. That placed it at #2,900 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Fields surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 2,530 in 2016. That gives Fields a modern rank of #2,615.

What does the Fields surname mean?

An English topographic surname referring to someone who lived or worked on land cleared of forest.

What does the Fields map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Fields 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.