What is the origin of the last name Wingfield?

Question

I am trying to find out the ethnicity of someone by that last name.

Answer 1

Surname: Wingfield

Recorded as Winfield and Wingfield, is English. It is of locational origin from any of the various places now called Wingfield in Bedfordshire, Derbyshire and Suffolk. Wingfield in Bedfordshire, first recorded as "Winfeld" in circa 1200 may be derived from the Olde English "wince" a "reel or pulley" or it may be a bird name from the Olde English for lapwing "(hleap) wince", with "feld", meadow. Wingfield in North Derbyshire was first recorded as "Wynnefeld" in 1002 and derives from the Olde English "winn", "meadow" plus "feld", hence "meadow or grazing ground". Wingfield in Suffolk was first recorded as "Wingefeld" in circa 1035 and derives from the Olde English meaning "the feld of the people of Wiga" or its first element may be a derivative of the Olde English "weoh", "pagan temple". Early examples of the surname recording include Dorothy Winfield who was christened on February 25th 1637 at St. Bride's Fleet Street, and John Wingfield who was christened at St James Clerkenwell, on July 15th 1804, both in the city of London. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Nicholas de Wynefeld. This was dated 1228, in the Curia Regis Rolls, during the reign of King Henry 111rd, 1216 - 1272.

and

Wingfield  

Last name origin & meaning:

English: variant of Winfield.

Winfield    

Last name origin & meaning:

English: habitational name from any of various places now called Wingfield. North and South Wingfield in Derbyshire are evidently named with Old English wynn ‘meadow’, ‘pasture’ + feld ‘pasture’, ‘open country’. A place of this name in Bedfordshire may have as it first element a topographical term or bird name wince (see Winch). One in Suffolk was probably either the ‘field of the people of Wīga’ (a short form of any of various compound names formed with wīg ‘war’), or else derives its first element from Old English wēoh ‘(pre-Christian) temple’.

Answer 2

all these surnames & last names r our past native places.now they may either exist or not.due to natural calamities some places on earth lost their existence.so,as we are[our ancestors]from that places we are called with those names i.e; we got those names as our surnames/last names.

Answer 3

http://www.wingfield.org/ maybe useful. It says

Most Wingfields are descended for the prominent Saxon family that was in Suffolk, England before the Norman Conquest in 1066. The village of Wingfield is shown in the Doomsday Book of 1086. Their influence spread throughout England. Many were knights, two of whom were Knights of the Garter. They were advisors to kings and one was the Chief of Staff to the Black Prince. Some married royal blood and several were Lords of the Manor in a number of areas of England. A Wingfield was the first president of the Jamestown Colony. The inventor of tennis was Walter Wingfield. Another family of Wingfields stem from Derbyshire, England, where in mediaeval times some of them were armigerous (i.e. had a coat of arms) and are today traceable (through the Wingfield Family Society). Hundreds of Wingfields trek back to England to see historical sites, such as the 14th century Wingfield Castle.