The Litchfield surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 4,290 people carried this name — #7,737 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 69,000 people counted. About the same as in 2000 (4,276).

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What the name means

The meaning of the Litchfield surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a local name, from where the family lived: ‘of Lichfield’.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 488 · public domain.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Litchfield was found among the farmers of Derbyshire: 11 in every 10,000.

Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Derbyshire 11

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

54 families named Litchfield, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 302 people lived in those households, 5.6 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 5 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Massachusetts 31
Maryland 7
Maine 6
Connecticut 5
North Carolina 4
New York 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 250 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Litchfield in American newspapers,
1917.

Newspaper page from The Medina Sentinel carrying the name Litchfield
The Medina Sentinel 1917-07-20
Newspaper page from The Lynden Tribune carrying the name Litchfield
The Lynden Tribune 1917-01-11
Newspaper page from The Lynden Tribune carrying the name Litchfield
The Lynden Tribune 1917-01-18

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain.

In print

Litchfield in Australian newspapers,
1830s–1990s.

14,789 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Litchfield. The most, 2,613, date from the 1920s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in the Northern Territory, at 22.2 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 7,380
South Australia 3,124
Victoria 2,038
Queensland 739
Western Australia 592
Northern Territory 566
ACT (Canberra) 154
Tasmania 150

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Litchfield.

Who carried it

People named Litchfield,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Harriett Litchfield
    Harriett Litchfield 1777–1854 · actor
  • Elisha Litchfield
    Elisha Litchfield 1785–1859 · judge
  • Pliny Thurston Litchfield
    Pliny Thurston Litchfield 1827–1890 · politician
  • Benny Litchfield d. 1989 · music director
  • Henry Litchfield 1786– · naval officer
  • Electus Backus Litchfield 1813–1889 · pioneer

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 8 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Litchfield,
in the records of 5 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States423 records

423 records of the Litchfield name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 169
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 98
  • Other U.S. records 156
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Lyman J. Litchfield

    Born 1918 in Illinois. Enlisted 1941 at Chicago; usher from Rock Island. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1997, buried at Rock Island National Cemetery, Illinois.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Alex Litchfield

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Germanic from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 31; spinner. From Bolton, England; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Frank Edward Litchfield

    Born 1947; from Dedham, Massachusetts. U.S. Army, infantry unit commander; killed in action 1969 in Thua Thien, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)

Showing 3 of 423 records for Litchfield in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain).

Australia228 records

228 records of the Litchfield name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 108
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 57
  • Other Australian records 63
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Samuel Baines Litchfield

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Thames, sailing from London in 1829. Native of Cambridge, Cambridgeshire.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Wm Hy Litchfield

    Arrived in Victoria in 1879 aboard the Argonaut, aged 61; British subject.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Edgar J. Litchfield

    Farmer of Glenluce, Victoria; died 1937.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 228 records for Litchfield in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Canada33 records

33 records of the Litchfield name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 10
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 7
  • Other Canadian records 16
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Arthur Joseph Litchfield

    Buried in 1977 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 87.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record William James Litchfield

    Died 1936 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Oscar William Litchfield

    Died in service in 1915.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 33 records for Litchfield in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

New Zealand23 records

23 records of the Litchfield name in New Zealand
  • Marlborough District cemetery records 18
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 2
  • Other New Zealand records 3
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record William Roy Litchfield

    Died 2000, aged 86; buried at Fairhall Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Caroline Litchfield

    Buried in 1884 at Shortland Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 60.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Livre d’or of the French war dead, Paris
    Example: roll of the war dead
    War record M. Litchfield

    New Zealand Infantry. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 23 records for Litchfield in New Zealand.

Counts: Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Livre d’or of the war dead, Paris, Ministère des pensions, Archives nationales (CC0).

United Kingdom14 records

14 records of the Litchfield name in the United Kingdom War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record P. Litchfield

    Shropshire Light Infantry. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record H. Litchfield

    Machine Gun Corps. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record T. J. Litchfield

    Gunner, Royal Field Artillery. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 14 records for Litchfield in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Litchfield.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Litchfield is.
A volume says what happened to it.

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