Brownfield
An English habitational surname meaning “dweller by the brown field.”
The #8,153 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 75,915 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Brownfield is a transparent English place-name surname built from brown + field. In surname formation, this usually referred to someone living near, or coming from, a field distinguished by its brown appearance—perhaps from soil, heather, stubble, or seasonal condition. The name is not usually treated as an independent ancient clan name; it is a straightforward topographic or habitational surname.
History
This kind of surname arose in medieval England and later became fixed as families began passing inherited surnames from one generation to the next. Brownfield may also have been reinforced by small local place-names of the same form. It is much less common than simpler Brown surnames, but it fits the broad English pattern of color-plus-landscape surnames.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Color-based place-name surnames often describe the appearance of the land rather than the family itself.