English: habitational name from the city in South Yorkshire, so
called from the river name Sheaf (from Old English
sceað ‘boundary’) + Old English feld ‘pasture’,
‘open country’. There are also minor places of the same name in Sussex
(from Old English sceap, scip ‘sheep’ +
feld) and Berkshire (from Old English sceo ‘shelter’,
‘shed’ + feld), which may have contributed to the surname.
Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-508137-4
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