An English surname, Whitfield comes from the Old English terms ‘hwit’ and ‘feld’ which to a white open field, usually containing a chalky or sandy soil. The spelling variations for Whitfield include Whitefield, Whytefield and Whitefeild. In England the earliest Whitfield families resided in Northumberland, near the Scottish border. The main concentration of the Whitfield families have remained in the northern region, in Yorkshire, Durham and Lancashire. The surname is still located over the whole of the country and into most of Wales. In Scotland the counties with the greater Whitfield populations include Lanarkshire, West Lothian, Midlothian and Perthshire. Within the United States the original Whitfield individuals settled in Virginia, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Mississippi, Texas, Georgia, Alabama, Kentucky and Tennessee. Famous: Norman Jesse Whitfield (songwriter and music producer), Andy Whitfield (actor from Wales), David Whitfield (singer from England), Fredricka Whitfield (CNN reporter and news anchor), Lynn Whitfield (actress), Trent Whitfield (ice hockey player from Canada), Mal Whitfield (champion Olympic running athlete), Terry Whitfield (professional baseball player), Brent Whitfield (professional soccer player) and Barrence Whitfield (signer and bandleader).