NameCensus.

UK surname

Ofield

A topographic surname referring to someone living in or near an open field.

In the 1881 census there were 116 people recorded with the Ofield surname, ranking it #18,126 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 106, ranked #29,927, down from #18,126 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Exeter St David (including Castle Yard), St Leonard Shoreditch and Gateshead. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Exeter, New Forest and Daventry.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Ofield is 153 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 8.6%.

1881 census count

116

Ranked #18,126

Modern count

106

2016, ranked #29,927

Peak year

2000

153 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Ofield had 116 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #18,126 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 106 in 2016, ranked #29,927.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 143 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Ofield surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Ofield surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Ofield 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 67 #21,440
1861 historical 51 #27,498
1881 historical 116 #18,126
1891 historical 115 #21,878
1901 historical 127 #19,893
1911 historical 143 #18,401
1997 modern 134 #22,608
1998 modern 136 #23,013
1999 modern 141 #22,702
2000 modern 153 #21,520
2001 modern 139 #22,541
2002 modern 136 #23,296
2003 modern 123 #24,497
2004 modern 117 #25,448
2005 modern 117 #25,433
2006 modern 118 #25,556
2007 modern 118 #25,913
2008 modern 117 #26,351
2009 modern 125 #25,823
2010 modern 125 #26,448
2011 modern 119 #27,063
2012 modern 114 #27,868
2013 modern 117 #27,838
2014 modern 113 #28,779
2015 modern 106 #29,895
2016 modern 106 #29,927

Geography

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Where Ofields are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Exeter St David (including Castle Yard), St Leonard Shoreditch, Gateshead, Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars and Ramsgate. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Exeter, New Forest, Daventry and Arun. 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 Exeter St David (including Castle Yard) Devon
2 St Leonard Shoreditch London (East Districts)
3 Gateshead Durham
4 Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars Leicestershire
5 Ramsgate Kent

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Exeter 010 Exeter
2 Exeter 012 Exeter
3 New Forest 014 New Forest
4 Daventry 003 Daventry
5 Arun 004 Arun

Forenames

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First names often paired with Ofield

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Ofield

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

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living

Nationally, the Ofield surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Ofield household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Families with resident dependent children (but not students) are common. Established family groups and White ethnicity predominate, as do individuals born in the UK. They are more likely than the Supergroup average to have been resident in their terraced, semi-detached, or detached houses for more than one year. Levels of multiple car ownership are high. Properties are owned and typically have surplus living space. Associate professionals and administrative occupations are prevalent, and parents are likely to be in middle age or approaching retirement. Educational attainment is above the Supergroup average. Scattered developments and concentrations are found in many small towns.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Ofield is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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

Scattered across London’s Inner and Outer suburbs, residents of these neighbourhoods are typically housed in the social rented sector. Although terraced and semi-detached houses predominate, more residents live in flats than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Neighbourhoods are more ethnically diverse than the Supergroup average. Those identifying as of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and some Black ethnicities are more prevalent. Europeans born in a overseas non-EU countries make up more of the lower proportion of residents identifying as White. Few residents are very old (85+). Employment in distribution, hotels and restaurants is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Ofield 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

Ofield falls in decile 7 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

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

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Ofield is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

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

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Ofield

The surname Ofield is of English origin, deriving from a locational name referring to a dweller near an open field. The earliest recorded instances of this surname date back to the 13th century, with the Middle English spelling 'Offeld' appearing in records from Oxfordshire in 1273.

The name is closely linked to the Old English word 'ofer', meaning 'open', and 'feld', meaning 'field'. It is believed that the surname Ofield originally referred to individuals who lived near or worked on open fields, likely in rural agricultural communities.

In the Hundred Rolls of 1275, a record of landowners in England, the name appears as 'Offeld' in Cambridgeshire. This early documentation suggests that the name was well-established in the eastern counties of England during the medieval period.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Ofield was John Offield, mentioned in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire in 1315. This reference provides evidence of the name's presence in northern England during the 14th century.

Variations in spelling were common in the Middle Ages, and the surname Ofield has been recorded under different forms, such as Offeild, Offeyld, and Offild. These variations reflect the regional dialects and scribal practices of the time.

Notable individuals with the surname Ofield include:

1. Richard Ofield (c. 1570-1640), an English physician and author of medical works. 2. Elizabeth Ofield (c. 1595-1670), a Puritan settler in Massachusetts Bay Colony and one of the founders of Salem, Massachusetts. 3. William Ofield (1655-1720), a prominent merchant and landowner in Bristol, England. 4. Samuel Ofield (1720-1792), a British military officer who served in the American Revolutionary War. 5. Mary Ofield (1780-1865), an English writer and poet, known for her collection of poems titled "Songs of the Heart" published in 1825.

The surname Ofield, while not among the most common English surnames, has a rich history dating back to the Middle Ages, reflecting the agricultural roots and regional diversity of its origins.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Ofield families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Ofield 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. Rutland leads with 19 Ofields recorded in 1881 and an index of 245.80x.

County Total Index
Rutland 19 245.80x
Norfolk 14 8.64x
Middlesex 13 1.23x
Durham 12 3.83x
Kent 12 3.34x
Leicestershire 12 10.27x
Yorkshire 9 0.86x
Devon 7 3.19x
Lancashire 3 0.24x
Surrey 3 0.58x
Buckinghamshire 2 3.14x
Berkshire 1 1.26x
Cambridgeshire 1 1.50x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Burnham Westgate in Norfolk leads with 11 Ofields recorded in 1881 and an index of 3142.86x.

Place Total Index
Burnham Westgate 11 3142.86x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 10 73.69x
Ramsgate 9 153.32x
Barrow 8 20000.00x
Handsworth 8 289.86x
Leicester St Margaret 7 24.58x
Slapton 7 3181.82x
Whissendine 6 2307.69x
Shoreditch London 5 10.95x
Hackney London 4 6.77x
Leicester St Leonard 4 360.36x
Market Overton 4 2857.14x
Chelsea London 3 9.45x
Upwell 3 400.00x
Camberwell 2 2.97x
Everton 2 5.02x
Helmington Row 2 136.99x
Penn 2 500.00x
Wateringbury 2 425.53x
Cottesmore 1 666.67x
Kensington London 1 1.71x
Lambeth 1 1.09x
Manchester 1 1.78x
Melton Mowbray 1 47.62x
Nether Hallam 1 7.08x
St Andrewthe Great 1 116.28x
St Lawrence 1 40.49x
Upton 1 666.67x

Top female names

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

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 14
John 7
George 6
James 4
Walter 4
Robert 3
Adam 2
Thomas 2
Charles 1
Cliford 1
Ernest 1
Evlyn 1
Henry 1
Job 1
Joseph 1
Marriott 1
Richard 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Ofield households.

FAQ

Ofield surname: questions and answers

How common was the Ofield surname in 1881?

In 1881, 116 people were recorded with the Ofield surname. That placed it at #18,126 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Ofield surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 106 in 2016. That gives Ofield a modern rank of #29,927.

What does the Ofield surname mean?

A topographic surname referring to someone living in or near an open field.

What does the Ofield map show?

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