Blomfield - Name

This interesting name is of Norman French origin, introduced into England after the Conquest of 1066; it is a good example of the subsequent Anglicizing of foreign placenames to resemble native placename elements. Looking wholly English but being wholly French, the name is locational and derives from the village of Blonville-sur-Mer in Calvados, Normandy. The first element is an Old Norse personal name, the second is the Old French "ville", meaning settlement. The various modern spellings include Blomefield, Blomfield and Blumfield. On February 1st, 1570, the infant Thomas Blomfield was christened at St. Andrews Undershaft in London. One William Blomfield, with his wife Sarah and year-old daughter, also named Sarah, sailed from Ipswich in the "Elizabeth" on April 30th 1634, bound for New England. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of William de Blunwill, which was dated 1207, the Hundred Rolls of Suffolk, during the reign of King John, known as "Lackland", 1199 - 1216. 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.