NameCensus.

UK surname

Oldfield

A topographical surname referring to someone who lived or worked in an old, cultivated field.

In the 1881 census there were 4,940 people recorded with the Oldfield surname, ranking it #900 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 5,656, ranked #1,186, down from #900 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Halifax, London parishes and Manchester. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Derbyshire Dales, Flintshire and Rotherham.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Oldfield is 6,778 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 14.5%.

1881 census count

4,940

Ranked #900

Modern count

5,656

2016, ranked #1,186

Peak year

1911

6,778 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Oldfield had 4,940 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #900 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 5,656 in 2016, ranked #1,186.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 6,778 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Oldfield surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Oldfield surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Oldfield 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 3,443 #828
1861 historical 3,546 #795
1881 historical 4,940 #900
1891 historical 5,560 #849
1901 historical 6,292 #880
1911 historical 6,778 #766
1997 modern 5,823 #1,124
1998 modern 6,076 #1,120
1999 modern 6,121 #1,120
2000 modern 6,050 #1,125
2001 modern 5,897 #1,129
2002 modern 5,936 #1,145
2003 modern 5,841 #1,137
2004 modern 5,862 #1,129
2005 modern 5,715 #1,142
2006 modern 5,709 #1,139
2007 modern 5,705 #1,149
2008 modern 5,675 #1,156
2009 modern 5,733 #1,171
2010 modern 5,799 #1,184
2011 modern 5,748 #1,178
2012 modern 5,680 #1,170
2013 modern 5,754 #1,174
2014 modern 5,774 #1,178
2015 modern 5,714 #1,180
2016 modern 5,656 #1,186

Geography

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Where Oldfields are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Halifax, London parishes, Manchester, Almondbury and Bradford. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Derbyshire Dales, Flintshire, Rotherham and Cheshire East. 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 Halifax Yorkshire, West Riding
2 London parishes London 3
3 Manchester Lancashire
4 Almondbury Yorkshire, West Riding
5 Bradford Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Derbyshire Dales 003 Derbyshire Dales
2 Flintshire 007 Flintshire
3 Rotherham 029 Rotherham
4 Flintshire 003 Flintshire
5 Cheshire East 018 Cheshire East

Forenames

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First names often paired with Oldfield

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Oldfield

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

Rural Amenity

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Oldfield is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. 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

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Oldfield is most concentrated in decile 6 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.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Oldfield

The surname Oldfield is of English origin, dating back to the medieval period. It is a locational name, derived from various places called 'Oldfield' or 'Old Field' scattered across England. These place names refer to an area of cultivated land that had long been cleared and farmed.

The earliest known record of the Oldfield surname appears in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire in 1273, where it is spelled 'Oldefeld'. Other early spellings include 'Auldfelde' and 'Oldefeylde'. These variations reflect the name's pronunciation and the lack of standardized spelling at the time.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, there are several entries for places with similar names, such as 'Aldefelde' in Cheshire and 'Oldefelde' in Warwickshire. These may have been the original locations that gave rise to the Oldfield surname.

Historically, the Oldfield name has been associated with several notable individuals. One of the earliest was Sir John Oldfield (c. 1430-1508), a member of the English gentry from Worcestershire. Another was John Oldfield (1610-1636), an English mathematician and astronomer who worked with renowned figures like Thomas Harriot and William Oughtred.

In the arts, Mary Oldfield (c. 1675-1730) was a celebrated English actress and mistress of King George II. Later, Anne Oldfield (1790-1868) was a British author and philanthropist who wrote several books on religious and moral themes.

Thomas Oldfield (1804-1863) was a notable English architect who designed numerous churches and public buildings in his native Manchester and surrounding areas. Meanwhile, Edmund Oldfield (1858-1938) was a renowned British ornithologist and naturalist, known for his work on bird migration.

The Oldfield surname has been present throughout the centuries, with bearers hailing from various parts of England. While locational in origin, it has since spread across the English-speaking world, reflecting the migrations and histories of those who carried this name.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Oldfield families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Oldfield 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 1,755 Oldfields recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.67x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 1,755 3.67x
Lancashire 872 1.52x
Derbyshire 372 4.92x
Cheshire 355 3.33x
Middlesex 221 0.46x
Norfolk 157 2.12x
Surrey 114 0.48x
Flintshire 99 7.63x
Lincolnshire 93 1.21x
Staffordshire 87 0.53x
Cambridgeshire 83 2.71x
Kent 74 0.45x
Somerset 69 0.89x
Denbighshire 60 3.29x
Warwickshire 55 0.45x
Nottinghamshire 52 0.80x
Durham 47 0.33x
Hampshire 44 0.44x
Cumberland 36 0.87x
Essex 34 0.36x
Devon 26 0.26x
Gloucestershire 23 0.24x
Glamorgan 22 0.26x
Huntingdonshire 21 2.19x
Worcestershire 20 0.32x
Shropshire 19 0.46x
Northumberland 17 0.24x
Hertfordshire 16 0.48x
Berkshire 14 0.39x
Caernarfonshire 14 0.72x
Westmorland 14 1.32x
Lanarkshire 9 0.06x
Sussex 9 0.11x
Monmouthshire 7 0.20x
Royal Navy 6 1.04x
Dorset 5 0.16x
Buckinghamshire 4 0.14x
Leicestershire 4 0.07x
Northamptonshire 4 0.09x
Suffolk 4 0.07x
Wiltshire 4 0.09x
Anglesey 2 0.23x
Bedfordshire 2 0.08x
Kirkcudbrightshire 1 0.14x
Stirlingshire 1 0.06x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Almondbury in Yorkshire leads with 83 Oldfields recorded in 1881 and an index of 35.89x.

Place Total Index
Almondbury 83 35.89x
Ashton Under Lyne 78 6.23x
Macclesfield 77 16.26x
Halifax 75 10.68x
Brightside Bierlow 62 6.61x
Leeds 55 2.04x
Northowram 55 16.40x
Whittlesey St Mary St 54 50.57x
South Crosland 53 105.24x
Hurdsfield 50 76.27x
Manchester 49 1.90x
Bedminster 46 6.30x
Bollington In 46 48.50x
Attercliffe Cum Darnall 44 9.87x
Sheffield 43 2.82x
Batley 37 8.14x
Birmingham 36 0.89x
Barnoldswick 35 52.42x
Huddersfield 35 5.02x
Spotland 35 5.50x
Barton Upon Irwell 33 7.65x
Hulme 33 2.76x
Youlgreave 33 150.96x
Ecclesfield 32 9.12x
Honley 32 38.22x
Bowling 31 6.54x
Chesterfield 31 10.94x
Oldham 31 1.68x
Tideswell 31 94.51x
Ecclesall Bierlow 30 3.08x
Manningham 29 4.92x
Skircoat 29 15.37x
Stretford 29 9.20x
Tottington 28 594.48x
Gorton 27 5.01x
Sowerby In Halifax 26 16.62x
Nether Hallam 25 3.86x
Rainow 25 117.87x
Stansfield 25 14.20x
Dukinfield 24 4.87x
Newbold Dunston 24 33.42x
Rotherham 24 8.90x
Salford 24 1.42x
Newchurch 23 4.91x
Preston 23 1.50x
Skipton 23 15.28x
Camberwell 22 0.71x
Minera 22 89.07x
Blackburn 21 1.38x
Misson 21 186.17x
Buxton 20 31.27x
Horton In Bradford 20 2.68x
Hovingham 20 201.82x
Hyde 20 6.36x
Paddington London 20 1.13x
West Ham 20 0.95x
Windle 20 6.21x
Hunslet 19 2.55x
Rastrick 19 14.30x
Wymondham 19 25.04x
Lambeth 18 0.43x
North Meols 18 3.21x
Preston Quarter 18 15.46x
St Pancras London 18 0.46x
Aberford 17 157.55x
Ashill 17 156.83x
Bingley 17 5.58x
Habergham Eaves 17 3.25x
Kirkheaton 17 21.92x
Shoreditch London 17 0.81x
West Derby 17 1.01x
Audley 16 9.92x
Chester St Oswald 16 8.29x
Kirkdale 16 1.66x
Llanarmon 16 57.57x
Hackney London 15 0.55x
Islington London 15 0.32x
Keighley 15 2.94x
Mirfield 15 5.71x
Soothill 15 8.68x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 348
Sarah 215
Elizabeth 198
Ann 123
Martha 90
Hannah 85
Jane 79
Emma 75
Alice 70
Annie 69
Ellen 68
Eliza 61
Emily 54
Margaret 49
Harriet 43
Frances 31
Florence 27
Clara 26
Louisa 26
Ada 25
Edith 25
Lucy 23
Maria 22
Charlotte 21
Agnes 19
Caroline 18
Esther 17
Fanny 17
Ruth 17
Kate 15
Anne 13
Rachel 12
Rose 12
Catherine 11
Julia 11
Amelia 10
Betsy 10
Ethel 9
Gertrude 9
Harriett 9
Lydia 9
Sophia 9
Elizth. 8
Grace 8
Isabella 8
Lizzie 8
Maud 8
Rebecca 8
Susan 8
Betty 7

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 315
William 269
George 161
James 148
Thomas 146
Joseph 104
Henry 84
Robert 70
Charles 66
Samuel 52
Edward 48
Arthur 47
Richard 39
Alfred 38
Walter 37
Frederick 32
Albert 29
Harry 29
Fred 28
Herbert 24
Francis 23
Benjamin 22
David 21
Frank 20
Isaac 20
Christopher 16
Ernest 13
Tom 13
Jonathan 12
Abraham 11
Adam 11
Edmund 10
Edwin 10
Thos. 10
Joshua 9
Anthony 8
Joe 8
Fredrick 7
Peter 7
Aaron 6
Fredk. 6
Geo. 6
Jabez 6
Jesse 6
Sam 6
Wm. 6
Amos 5
Chas. 5
Jas. 5
Josiah 5

FAQ

Oldfield surname: questions and answers

How common was the Oldfield surname in 1881?

In 1881, 4,940 people were recorded with the Oldfield surname. That placed it at #900 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Oldfield surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 5,656 in 2016. That gives Oldfield a modern rank of #1,186.

What does the Oldfield surname mean?

A topographical surname referring to someone who lived or worked in an old, cultivated field.

What does the Oldfield map show?

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