Standfield - Name

This is an English locational name from a parish so called in Norfolk (near East Dereham). The name derives from the Olde English pre 7th Century "stan" meaning a stone, and "feld", a pasture or open country. The name was originally given to one resident in a stony field, and is first recorded in the 14th Century as "Stondfeld". In 1587 one, Wenafrede Standfeild appears on the burial records of St.James Church, Clerkenwell, London. The intrusive "d" is a dialectual addition, probably introduced to make for easier pronunciation. In the modern idiom, the name has several spelling variations these include Stainfield, Stanfield and Standfield. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Geoffrey atte Stondfeld. which was dated 1327, in the Somerset County Rolls. during the reign of King Edward 111, known as the Father of the Navy, 1327 - 1377. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.