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Wakefield History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Wakefield History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Wakefield

What does the name Wakefield mean?

The name Wakefield has a long Anglo-Saxon heritage. The name comes from when a family lived at Wakefield in the West Riding of Yorkshire. "Its name, in the Domesday Survey Wachefeld, is of Saxon origin. In the reign of Edward the Confessor, it formed part of the royal demesnes; and, after the Conquest, was granted by Henry I. to William, Earl Warren, with whose descendants it remained till the reign of Edward III. " 1

However, the surname Wakefield is occasionally derived from another settlement by the same name in Northumberland. The surname Wakefield belongs to the large category of Anglo-Saxon habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

Early Origins of the Wakefield family

The surname Wakefield was first found in Yorkshire where Wachefeld, being King William's land was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086. 2

Early English rolls provide us a glimpse of the spelling variations used through Medieval times. Today we typically need to look beyond the spellings of these entries and concentrate on on a phonetic appreciation of the names. Lager de Wakfeld was listed in the Assize Rolls for Yorkshire in 1219; Thomas de Wakfeld in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1342; and Richard Wakefeld was found in Yorkshire in 1415. 3

One of the more interesting first mentions of the name was "Peter of Wakefield or Peter of Pontefract (died 1213), an English hermit. He prophesied that King John's crown would be passed to another by next Ascension Day, 23 May 1213. This prophecy spread throughout Britain, even to France. King John had him imprisoned and when the forecasted day came and went, had him "dragged by horses to Wareham and there hanged with his son. " 4

Early History of the Wakefield family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wakefield research. Another 88 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1375, 1537, 1575 and 1665 are included under the topic Early Wakefield History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wakefield Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Wakefield have been found, including Wakefield, Wakefeild and others.

Early Notables of the Wakefield family

Another 37 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Wakefield Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wakefield World Ranking

In the United States, the name Wakefield is the 2,317^th most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 5 However, in New Zealand, the name Wakefield is ranked the 735^th most popular surname with an estimated 980 people with that name. 6 And in the United Kingdom, the name Wakefield is the 793^rd popular surname with an estimated 8,539 people with that name. 7

Wakefield migration to the United States +

Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name Wakefield, or a variant listed above:

Wakefield Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Mr. Thomas Wakefield, aged 17, from England who arrived in Virginia aboard the ship "America" arriving in June 1635 8
Anne Wakefield, who settled in Massachusetts with her husband in 1638
William Wakefield, who settled in Massachusetts in 1638
William Wakefield, who arrived in Hampton, NH in 1638 8
Thomas Wakefield, who settled in Virginia in 1663
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Wakefield Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Wakefield, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1703 8

Wakefield Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

George Wakefield, aged 62, who arrived in Connecticut in 1812 8
Nathaniel Wakefield, who arrived in New Bedford, Massachusetts in 1817 8
Francis Wakefield, who landed in New Bedford, Massachusetts in 1817 8
Robert Wakefield, who landed in New Bedford, Massachusetts in 1817 8
Melville F Wakefield, who landed in Colorado in 1883 8

Wakefield migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Wakefield Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. David Wakefield, British convict who was convicted in Kent, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Calcutta" in February 1803, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
Mr. Thomas Wakefield, English convict who was convicted in Bristol, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Fame" on 9th October 1816, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
Richard Wakefield, English convict from Middlesex, who was transported aboard the "Almorah" on April 1817, settling in New South Wales, Australia 11
Mr. Thomas Wakefield, British convict who was convicted in Bristol, England for life, transported aboard the "Competitor"18th March 1823, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 12
Thomas Wakefield, who arrived in Glenelg Roads aboard the ship "Pestonjee Bomanjee" in 1838 13
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Wakefield Settlers in Australia in the 20th Century

"Miss Harriet Wakefield, (b. 1812), aged 16, English needle woman who was convicted in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England for 14 years for stealing, transported aboard the ""Competitor"" on 9th June 1828, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, she died in 1855" 14

Wakefield migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Wakefield Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

L Jern Wakefield, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1839 aboard the ship Tory
William Wakefield, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1839
Col. William Wakefield, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Tory" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 20th September 1839 15
Mr. E.J. Wakefield, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Tory" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 20th September 1839 15
Eliza Wakefield, aged 43, a sempstress, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "London" in 1840
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Wakefield (post 1700) +

Dan Wakefield (1932-2024), American novelist, journalist, and screenwriter, known for his best-selling novels, Going All the Way (1970) and Starting Over (1973) which were made into feature films
Timothy Stephen "Tim" Wakefield (1966-2023), American professional baseball knuckleball pitcher
Leland H. Wakefield, American Republican politician, Postmaster at Portland, Oregon, 1869-73 16
Lawrence Wakefield (1854-1940), American Democratic Party politician, Mayor of Lenoir, North Carolina, 1892-93; Member of North Carolina State Senate 33rd District, 1913-14 16
Laureda Wakefield, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from California, 1932 16
James W. Wakefield, American Republican politician, Mayor of Bath, Maine, 1885-89, 1894-95 16
George W. Wakefield, American politician, Circuit Judge in Iowa 4th District, 1885-86 16
George N. Wakefield (1806-1877), American politician, Mayor of Battle Creek, Michigan, 1872 16
Floyd L. Wakefield, American Republican politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Washington 5th District, 1986 16
Ernest Alonzo Wakefield (b. 1868), American politician, U.S. Consul in Orillia, 1900-08; Rangoon, 1908-10; Port Elizabeth, 1910-17; Prince Rupert, 1919-26; Ensenada, 1927-29; Nuevitas, 1932 16
... (Another 29 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Wakefield family +

Empress of Ireland

Mr. William Henry Wakefield (1889-1914), Canadian Second Class Passenger from Toronto, Ontario, Canada who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 17

HMS Royal Oak

Harry Wakefield (1921-1939), born in Whitchurch, Hampshire, England, British Marine with the Royal Marine aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died in the sinking 18

RMS Lusitania

Mrs. Mary Wakefield, English 1st Class Passenger residing in Honolulu, Hawaii Territory, USA returning to England, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking 19

USS Indianapolis

James Newell Wakefield, American crew member on board the ship "USS Indianapolis" when she was on a top secret trip for the first nuclear weapon, she was sunk by Japanese Navy on 30th July 1945, he was one of the many who were killed in the sinking due to exposure, dehydration, saltwater poisoning and shark attacks 20

The Wakefield Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Arudua vinco
Motto Translation: I conquer difficulties.

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/calcutta
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 27th September 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fairlie
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Almorah voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1817 with 180 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/almorah/1817
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/competitor
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The PESTONJEE BOMANJEE 1838. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1838PestonjeeBomanjee.htm
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 8th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/competitor
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 11) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 17) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html
Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/
Final Crew List, retrieved 2021, October 30th Retrieved from https://www.ussindianapolis.com/final-crew