SUMMERFIELD
Summerfield is a surname of English origin, attested as a locational name in the British Isles. The etymology is based on the Old English words sumor, meaning “summer”, and feld, meaning “field”. Consequently the name originally described a person who dwelt near or owned a field that was associated with summer, or who was otherwise connected with the season, perhaps by birth.
The surname appears in England under several orthographic variants, including Somerfield, Sommerfield and Somerfeild. German sources record it as Sommerfeld and Somerfeld. The persistence of these spellings points to a pre‑7th century Germanic and Anglo‑Saxon heritage. In England the earliest documented use is in the late 16th century, although many earlier records have apparently been lost or never produced.
Notable early evidences in England include a witness named William Somerfield at St Giles Church, Cripplegate, on New Year’s Day 1605, and the marriage of William Summerfeild to Elizabeth Querton at St James, Clerkenwell, on 23 January 1622. An earlier pre‑commonwealth entry is that of John Sommerfylde at St Margaret’s, Westminster, on 11 August 1597. German documentation of the name dates from 1649, with Daniel Sommerfeldte recorded in Zullichau, Brandenberg.
The surname is also associated with a number of castles, estates and churches in the West Riding of Yorkshire, particularly the place called Somerfield. Norman and subsequent Anglo‑Saxon influences were common among families displaced in the upland pasturage areas, where fields were used solely for summer grazing. This geographic usage is reflected in heraldic records across Europe, where the name has been granted coats of arms in Norway, Hanover, Prussia, Silesia and Hamburg.
While some have suggested that the name entered England with Huguenot refugees or through the 1715 accession of King George I of Hanover to the English throne, these remain conjectural; the earliest known English records pre‑date both of those events.
As a result of its locational nature, bearers of the surname Summerfield were traditionally Christian, as evidenced by the church registers in which the name appears. The surname has remained in use from the 17th century to the present day, maintaining the distinctive English spelling of Summerfield that is most common today.
Typical given names associated with the Summerfield surname
Male
- Andrew
- David
- Ian
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Robert
Female
- Claire
- Elizabeth
- Jennifer
- Joanne
- Julie
- Lisa
- Margaret
- Nicola
- Patricia
- Sarah
- 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 Summerfield in...
Braille
⠎⠥⠍⠍⠑⠗⠋⠊⠑⠇⠙
Morse
.....-----..-...-.....-..-..
Semaphore
There are approximately 4,162 people named Summerfield in the UK. That makes it roughly the 2,239th most common surname in Britain. Around 64 in a million people in Britain are named Summerfield.
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Summerfield
- Eleanor Summerfield - Actress (1921 to 2001)
- Luke Summerfield - Football player
- Kevin Summerfield - Football player, coach
- Maurice J. Summerfield - Jazz musician
- Paddy Summerfield -
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.