Fielding
One of English origin referring to those who farm fields.
Name Census estimates that about 385 living Americans carry the first name Fielding. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Fielding today is around 34 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Fielding births was 2022 (16 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Fielding. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
385
~ 1 in 890,271 Americans
Peak year
2022
16 babies that year
Average age
34
years old
2024 SSA rank
#7,909
Tracked since 1884
Popularity
Fielding: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Fielding from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 13 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 111 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Fielding remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Fielding by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Fielding during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Fielding
The name Fielding has its roots in Old English, originating from the word "feld," which means "field" or "open land." It emerged during the medieval period in England, potentially as an occupational surname for someone who lived or worked in the fields.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Fielding dates back to the 13th century. In 1275, a man named Richard Fielding was mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire, England, which were records of landholders and their possessions.
Throughout history, the name Fielding has been associated with several notable individuals. One of the most celebrated figures was Henry Fielding (1707-1754), an English novelist and playwright who is best known for his novel "The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling." He played a significant role in the development of the English novel and is regarded as one of the pioneers of the genre.
Another prominent individual with the name Fielding was Sarah Fielding (1710-1768), an English author and the sister of Henry Fielding. She wrote novels, children's books, and translations, and is considered an important figure in the early development of the novel form.
In the field of exploration, Fielding Clarke (1786-1856) was an English navigator and explorer who participated in several expeditions to the Arctic regions in the early 19th century. His contributions to the mapping and understanding of the Arctic geography were significant.
Turning to the world of sports, Walter Fielding (1915-1988) was an English cricketer who played for both Essex and England in the 1930s and 1940s. He had a successful career as a right-handed opening batsman and was part of the English team that toured Australia in 1946-47.
Lastly, Fielding Culbreth (1856-1923) was an American umpire in Major League Baseball who officiated in the National League from 1892 to 1923. He is remembered for his long and influential career as an umpire and for his contributions to the development of the game.
People
Fielding + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Fielding as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with F
Other first names starting with F with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Fielding: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Fielding?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 385 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Fielding going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 890,271 US residents.
Is Fielding a common name?
We classify Fielding as "Very Rare". It ranks above 81.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 602 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Fielding most popular?
The single biggest year for Fielding was 2022, when 16 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Fielding is about 34 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Fielding a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Fielding in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.