Whitfield

Meaning of Whitfield

Whitfield, an etymologically Anglo-Saxon compound of hwīt (“white”) and feld (“open land”), originated as a locational surname designating inhabitants of open tracts characterized by light soil composition in medieval England. Transposed into a masculine given name within Anglo-American conventions, it retains morphological transparency and evokes agrarian lineage. Onomastic data in the United States reveal a modest apex during the 1920s—annual bearers exceeded ten and its national rank stabilized near the 500th position—before descending into a sustained low-level frequency. Over the past decade, registrations have ranged from five to eleven per annum, situating Whitfield around the 900th rank among male newborns as of 2024. This persistent rarity underscores its appeal to parents seeking an appellation that merges historical depth with statistical distinctiveness. Pronounced WIT-feeld (/wɪt.fiːld/), it further benefits from an austere phonetic architecture aligned with contemporary onomastic preferences.

Pronunciation

English

• Pronunced as WIT-feeld (/wɪt.fiːld/)

• Whitaker
• Whitman
• Whitmore
• Whitson
• Whitford