Nietfeldt Clan

“Niedfeldt” is the oldest medieval form of the name, traced back to 13th–14th-century charters in Lower Saxony and Hildesheim. In Middle Low German, “Nîchtenvelt” or “Niedfeldt” literally meant “newly cultivated field” (“neu Feldt”). Early scribes—writing in Latin or Middle Low German—often recorded it as Nîchtenvelt (Latinized as “Nichtenfeldus”). By the 14th century, entries in local tax rolls and bishopric documents show the spelling “Niedfeldt” consistently.

In Low German dialects—common throughout Saxony and northern Germany—the vowel spelled “ie” often corresponds to the same long “i” sound. As writing conventions shifted during the 17th–18th centuries, clerks began spelling “Niedfeldt” as “Nietfeldt” to reflect the spoken pronunciation. When families emigrated to the United States in the 19th century, port clerks and local officials—hearing “Nee-t-felt” from German speakers—often recorded the name as “Nietfeldt” or dropped the final “t,” resulting in “Nietfeld.” Over time, many American branches standardized on “Nietfeldt.”

Some parish registers and civil records—especially in the 17th and 18th centuries—omitted the terminal “t” when recording names. Thus, “Niedfeldt” could appear simply as “Niedfeld.” This typically occurred in ecclesiastical contexts, where scribes used a briefer form. Certain family branches in Lower Saxony and Brandenburg retained “Niedfeld” as their official surname, even after spelling conventions normalized in the 19th century.

On rare occasions—particularly in 16th-century East Prussian and rural Saxon tax ledgers—scribes inserted a double “t” to indicate a short “i” vowel (similar to the modern German pronunciation). Though not widespread, these forms (“Nittfeldt” or “Nittfeld”) reflect an attempt to clarify pronunciation before standard spelling existed. Most of these occurrences are isolated and did not persist; by the 17th century, the “tt” variant had largely reverted to “Niedfeldt” or “Nietfeldt.”

All variants share the same root: “nie” (or “nid”) meaning “new,” and “feld” meaning “field.” In medieval Saxony, families who cleared and farmed new land were often referred to as the lords or stewards of the “new field.” Hence, whether spelled “Nîchtenvelt,” “Niedfeldt,” “Nietfeldt,” or “Niedfeld,” the core meaning remains “family of the newly cultivated field.”

In modern Germany, **Niedfeldt** is concentrated in Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Bremen—regions associated with the medieval “Nîchtenvelt” settlements. The spelling **“Nietfeldt”** also appears occasionally in genealogical indexes, especially around Hanover. In the United States, **Nietfeldt** and **Nietfeld** predominated among immigrants who arrived between 1825 and 1910, settling primarily in Wisconsin, Illinois, Nebraska, and Ohio. Minor clusters of **Niedfeld** remain in the American Midwest and Pennsylvania.

Before the 16th century, there was no standard German spelling. Scribes wrote names phonetically according to regional dialects. In Middle Low German (spoken throughout Saxony), the long “i” sound could be written “ie,” “i,” or even “ee.” Once Martin Luther’s 16th-century orthographic reforms began influencing scribes, a more consistent High German spelling emerged—but local registers still variably recorded the name as “Niedfeldt,” “Niedfeld,” or “Nittfeldt,” depending on the scribe’s training and local pronunciation.

Yes. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, German emigrants from Bremen, Hamburg, and Bremerhaven sailed to New York, New Orleans, and Baltimore. At U.S. ports, clerks unfamiliar with German heard “Niedfeldt” and recorded it as “Nietfeldt” or simply “Nietfeld.” Some immigrants themselves voluntarily changed their name to **“Nietfeldt”** (dropping the “d” or “ie” confusion) to simplify life in English-speaking communities. Anti-German sentiment during World War I also encouraged some families to favor the less German-sounding “Nietfeldt.”

In Germany, **“Niedfeldt”** remains the official civil-registration spelling for most branches in Lower Saxony and surrounding states. In the United States, **“Nietfeldt”** is the dominant form among descendants of 19th-century immigrants, with “Nietfeld” as a close runner-up. The simplified “Niedfeld” appears only rarely, typically among a few older families who never Anglicized their name.

When doing genealogical research:

• Use wildcard searches (e.g., “Ni?tfeld*”) to catch “Niedfeldt,” “Nietfeldt,” “Niedfeld,” or “Nietfeld.”
• Consult parish registers in Lower Saxony and Hanover for medieval forms (e.g., “Nîchtenvelt”).
• Check 19th-century passenger lists under all major variants (“Niedfeldt,” “Niedfeld,” “Nietfeldt,” “Nietfeld”).
• Review local civil records in Wisconsin, Nebraska, and Illinois for “Nietfeldt” entries after 1850.
• Account for potential “t” omissions: “Niedfeld” ↔ “Niedfeldt.”