Explore the Family Name Fielding

The meaning of Fielding

1. English: variant of Fielden. 2. English: occasionally from a Middle English survival of Old English felding ‘dweller in the field(s), open country’. 3. Irish: possibly a variant of McField (see McPhail). History: A family of this name (see 2 above) held the earldom of Desmond from 1628–75 and has held the earldom of Denbigh since 1622. A branch of this family included the novelist Henry Fielding (1707–54).

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Fielding in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname "Fielding" has seen a slight decrease in popularity over the past decade, yet an increase in the number of people carrying the name. In 2000, Fielding ranked 5561 amongst all surnames, and by 2010, it dropped slightly to a rank of 5700 - a change of -2.5%. However, during the same period, the count of individuals with the Fielding surname rose from 5735 to 6081, showing a growth of 6.03%. The proportion of the surname Fielding per 100k individuals also slightly decreased by -3.29%.

20002010Change
Rank#5,561#5,700-2.5%
Count5,7356,0816.03%
Proportion per 100k2.132.06-3.29%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Fielding

In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals that the majority of individuals with the surname Fielding identified as White, although this group saw a small decrease of -2.01% from 2000 to 2010. During the same period, those identifying as Hispanic and Asian/Pacific Islander saw a significant increase of 32.91% and 32.69%, respectively. Individuals identifying as Black or African American also saw a modest increase of 8.27%. Those identifying with two or more races increased by 18.29%, while those identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native remained relatively stable with a slight increase of 2.6%.

20002010Change
White88.44%86.66%-2.01%
Black6.29%6.81%8.27%
Hispanic2.34%3.11%32.91%
Two or More Races1.64%1.94%18.29%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.77%0.79%2.6%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.52%0.69%32.69%

Fielding ancestry composition

23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Fielding is British & Irish, which comprises 52.0% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (18.3%) and Ashkenazi Jewish (7.4%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Eastern European, Spanish & Portuguese, Italian, and Indigenous American.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
British & Irish52.0%
French & German18.3%
Ashkenazi Jewish7.4%
Other22.2%
Fielding

Possible origins of the surname Fielding

Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.

Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Fielding have recent ancestry locations all within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Greater London, United Kingdom82.90%
Glasgow City, United Kingdom82.90%
Merseyside, United Kingdom82.40%
West Yorkshire, United Kingdom82.40%
West Midlands, United Kingdom82.40%

What Fielding haplogroups can tell you

Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.

The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Fielding is I-CTS6364, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup I-CTS6364 is descended from haplogroup I-M170. Other common haplogroups include I-L205.1 and I-M253, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Purcell, Childress, Wicker, Mott, Pyle, Medley, Anderson, Ingham, Gustafson, Maxey.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Fielding surname are: H1, J1c, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

fieldingPaternal Haplogroup Origins I-M170
Paternal Haplo Image

Your paternal lineage may be linked to Alexander Hamilton

Early in the morning on July 11, 1804, Aaron Burr (then Vice President of the United States) and Alexander Hamilton (founder of the U.S. Treasury) dueled on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River. This marked the culmination of a bitter personal and political rivalry between the two men. Alexander Hamilton died as a result of the duel, but his intellectual legacy survives in the founding documents of the nation he helped build. A piece of his genetic legacy survives as well: in the 21st century, genealogists documented the paternal haplogroups of dozens of Hamilton's living descendants and concluded that the Founding Father's paternal haplogroup was a branch of I-DF29.

Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette

Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Fielding have in common?

Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.

Preferences

Fielding

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Fielding" Surname 41.7%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Fielding

Misophonia

When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.

"Fielding" Surname 28.8%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Fielding

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Fielding" Surname 12.0%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Fielding

Migraine

A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

"Fielding" Surname 22.5%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Fielding?

The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.

Disease variant frequency by ancestry

Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Fielding are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Y402H variant

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss among older adults. The disease results in damage to the central part of the retina (the macula), impairing vision needed for reading, driving, or even recognizing faces. The 23andMe Health + Ancestry DNA test includes the two most common variants associated with an increased risk of developing the condition: the Y402H variant in the CFH gene and the A69S variant in the ARMS2 gene. Learn more about Age-Related Macular Degeneration

British & Irish 62.1%

23andMe Users 57.2%