BANFIELD
Banfield is an English locational surname that originates from the British Isles, notably England. The name is derived from two Old English elements: bæne, meaning “bean”, and feld, meaning “open land” or “field”. Consequently, the surname was originally used to describe a person who lived near a field where beans were cultivated or where such a field existed.
The earliest documentary evidence of the surname appears in the 1086 Domesday Book, where the village of the same name is recorded as Westone. In later medieval documents it was noted as Benefeld in the Devonshire pipe rolls of 1306. The name was retained by families who moved away from the parish of Weston‑Bampfylde near Castle Cary, in Somerset, where the original settlement lay.
Historical records contain several early spellings of the name, including Bamfield, Bampfield, Banfield and Banfill. A notable early case is that of Amias Banfilde of Devon, whose name appears in the Oxford University register of 1575 during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. In the seventeenth century, individuals bearing the name migrated to the New World; one of the earliest recorded bearers in America is believed to have arrived in New England in the seventeenth century, and the surname has since been present in United States records throughout the colonial period and beyond.
In the United Kingdom the surname is most commonly found in the south‑west of England and Wales, with a smaller concentration in the northern and eastern parts of England and in Scotland. In the United States it is distributed across the Northeast, including Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Hampshire, and the West, notably in Colorado and California. In Australia the name is common in New South Wales, particularly around the Sydney metropolitan area. These distributions reflect centuries of migration from the original locality to other regions of the British Isles and overseas.
The Banfield coat of arms is described heraldically as blue with a silver chevron between three gold stars. The crest features a gold lion, sitting on its hind legs and holding an arrow with its front paws. The heraldic description states that the lion’s posture conveys courage and readiness for battle, though such symbolic meanings should not be interpreted as definitive accounts of the family’s history.
Variations of the surname have appeared over time, influenced by regional dialects and spelling conventions. Common British variants include Banfeild, Banfeld, Banfield, Banfild, Bankfield and Banifield. In the United States variants such as Banfild, Banfield, Banfilde, Bankfield, Benfield and Benfielde have been recorded. The surname has also been recorded in other languages under different forms, although these are not always direct cognates.
Overall, the surname Banfield embodies a straightforward locational origin grounded in agricultural practice and reflects a long history of settlement, migration and adaptation within the English-speaking world. The name continues to be borne by individuals who trace their ancestry to the original field at Weston‑Bampfylde and who uphold the legacy of their forebears in contemporary society.
Typical given names associated with the Banfield surname
Male
- Andrew
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Philip
- Stephen
Female
- Caroline
- Christine
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Jennifer
- Julia
- Julie
- Linda
- Margaret
- Nicola
- Sarah
- Sharon
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Banfield in...
Braille
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Morse
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Semaphore
There are approximately 2,791 people named Banfield in the UK. That makes it roughly the 3,208th most common surname in Britain. Around 43 in a million people in Britain are named Banfield.
Surname type: Location or geographical feature
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Banfield
- Neil Banfield - Football player and manager
- Arthur Banfield - Cricketer (1897 to 1972)
- Audrey Ethel Bennett married name Audrey Banfield - High jumper
- Albert Banfield - Football player (1912 to 1)
- David Banfield - Archdeacon (1933 to 2014)
- Edward Banfield - Argentine businessman (1837 to 1872)
- Alex Banfield - Opera and concert tenor
- Laurie Banfield - Football player (1889 to 1979)
- Edmund James Banfield - -born Australian writer, journalist and naturalist (1852 to 1923)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.