Fun Facts About the Name Wakefield
- 22 babies named Wakefield: U.S. records list 22 babies given the name Wakefield from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Wakefield Mean?
Wakefield is an English place name and family name meaning 'Waca's field' or 'Waca's open land.' It comes from Old English, the Germanic language spoken in England before the Norman Conquest. The second element is Old English feld, which literally meant open land or land cleared of trees and is usually translated as 'field' in place names. The first element is generally identified as the Old English personal name Waca, a short byname of uncertain sense, perhaps 'watchful one,' related to wacian 'to watch, be awake' or wacu 'watch, vigil.' The literal sense is therefore 'Waca's open land,' and the customary meaning is 'Waca's field.'
A less common explanation takes the first element from Old English wacu, 'watch, wake, festival,' and interprets the name as 'field where a wake was held' or 'watch field.' The personal-name explanation is more widely accepted, but the exact origin of the first element is not fully settled.
Wakefield Name History & Origins
The name Wakefield comes from the town of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England. The place is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Wachefeld, an early form of the name. The Old English elements behind it are Waca, a personal name, and feld, 'open land' or 'field.' Over time the spelling shifted to the modern Wakefield. The town gave its name to people who moved away from it, and the surname Wakefield is found in English records from the medieval period.
As a surname, Wakefield belonged to families in Yorkshire and eventually spread to other parts of England and to English-speaking countries. It is a locational surname taken from the town. The given name Wakefield is a transferred use of that surname. It is not a traditional given name from the Middle Ages but a modern first name drawn from the family name, and it is uncommon as a first name.
Wakefield also has literary associations. Oliver Goldsmith's 1766 novel The Vicar of Wakefield uses the town name in its title; the vicar's surname is Primrose, not Wakefield. Nathaniel Hawthorne's 1835 short story Wakefield uses the name for its main character, a man who leaves his wife for twenty years. These works use the place or surname rather than creating the name.
How Popular is the Name Wakefield?
Wakefield has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2018. Its best rank was #4,700 in 1928.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | #10,686 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2009 | #14,401 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1928 | #4,700 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1918 | #4,784 | 5 | 0.0005% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
Most Popular Boy Names That Start with W
How the Name Wakefield Shapes Your Personality and Life?
To express itself, you must follow the divine law of love. You have great persistence and hate to give up. You are a good mixer, charming, magnetic and intuitive. The spirituality is the key to success. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
Dependable, very down-to-earth and well grounded, you are always looking for meaningful work, a career where you can take pride in your work and do the best job you are capable of. Your prime desire is to build protected and secure environment at home and at work. You can be very persuasive in achieving goals and gaining objectives. You can be very detailed and well-organized and possess great organizational skills. At times you may appear too stubborn and overly critical to others, but your practical approach to life and productivity makes you one of the most beneficent members of community.
✦ Wakefield's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Wakefield's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.