Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Catefelda 1086 DB

• Catefeld(e) 1101–07 Holme 1198–1200(p),1209(p) P 1199,1220(p) Cur 1212 RP 1228to1402 FF 1275 RH 1297,1323 BM 1302,1316,1346 FA 1306 Pat 1317,1327,1328 Banco 1324 Ipm 1330 SR 1335 Pat 1363 Seld 1432 Fine

• Catefeud 1183 Holme 1275 RH 1308 BM

• Katefeud 1254–75 Val 1257 Ass

• Katefeld 1269 Ass

• Cattefeld 1288,1325 Pat 1324 Ipm 1349 Fine 1357 FF

• Chatefeld 1313 NfD

• Cattfeld 1197 P

• Katfeld 1212 RP

• Catfeld(e) 1269 Ass 1324,1374,1375 Ipm 1332,1401,1428 FF 1335 Ch 1376,1384,1392 Pat 1535 VE

• Catfylde 1548 Pat

• Catesfeld 1199 Cur

• Cattesfeld 1349 Fine 1363 Seld

Etymology

The majority of the old spellings suggest that the first el. is the weakly inflected gen. of an OScand pers.n., OWScand  Káti Lind and LindB s.n., ODan  Kate DGP II s.n., Fellows Jensen 163, from OScand  kátr 'merry'. This is more likely than Ekwall's explanation in DEPN, 'feld frequented by wild cats' (OE  catt), which seems to be an interpretation based on the limited material that was available earlier. The forms with -s -genitives are few and to be explained as the result of later insertion (cf. Zachrisson 118 f. and IPN 114).Catefeud , Katefeud show AN vocalization of l (cf. Zachrisson 146 f. and IPN 113).