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Fincher History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Fincher History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Fincher

What does the name Fincher mean?

Fincher is a name that first reached England following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Fincher family lived in the parish of Fincham in Norfolk. The name of this place derives from the Old English word finc, which means finch, and ham, which means homestead. 1

The Domesday Book of 1086 lists this parish as P(h)incham. 2

Early Origins of the Fincher family

The surname Fincher was first found in Norfolk at Fincham. 3 Early rolls list Nigellus de Fincham, Norfolk, temp. William II; William de Fincham, Norfolk, 52 Henry III; and Thomas de Fincham, Norfolk, 22 Edward III. 4

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 include: John de Fincham, Norfolk; and Walter de Fincham, Norfolk. 5

Robert de Fincheham was listed in the Assize Rolls for Northumberland in 1202 and later, John de Fincham was found in Berkshire in 1305. Gilbert Fycheham was listed in the Assize Rolls for Lincolnshire in 1394. 6

One source claims the family was conjecturally descended from Robert Achard, the tutor of King Henry I, who was granted five manors in the county of Berkshire by his liege lord; one of these manors being Finchamstede or Finchamstead. It is believed that Robert's descendants in that manor became the Lords of Fincham.

Later, "the Finchams of Fincham Hall, Norfolk, owned property in Brantham, Suffolk, in the 16th century." 7

Early History of the Fincher family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fincher research. Another 109 words (8 lines of text) covering the year 1582 is included under the topic Early Fincher History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fincher Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Fincher are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Fincher include Fincham, Finchamsted, Finchamstead, Finchem, Finshaw, Finsher and many more.

Early Notables of the Fincher family

More information is included under the topic Early Fincher Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fincher Ranking

In the United States, the name Fincher is the 3,450^th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 8

Fincher migration to the United States +

Faced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Fincher, or a variant listed above:

Fincher Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Fincher, who landed in Virginia in 1657 9
Francis Fincher, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1682 9

Fincher Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Andrew Fincher, who arrived in New York in 1845 9

Fincher migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Fincher Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. George Fincher, (b. 1799), aged 27, English butcher who was convicted in London (Buckingham House Barracks), England for life for desertion from the army, transported aboard the "England"on 28th April 1826, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1854 10
Robert Fincher, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Gratitude" in 1848 11

Fincher migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Fincher Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mrs. Fincher, American settler travelling from Honolulu aboard the ship "Nebraska" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 9th April 1873 12

Contemporary Notables of the name Fincher (post 1700) +

Stephen Lee Fincher (b. 1973), American politcian, Representative for Tennessee's 8th congressional district
William Allen "Bill" Fincher (1894-1946), American Major League Baseball pitcher
Jack Fincher (d. 2002), American screenwriter and journalist
Charles Pugsley Fincher (b. 1945), American cartoonist and lawyer
William E. "Bill" Fincher (1896-1978), American football player and coach
Alfred William Fincher (b. 1983), American football linebacker
David Andrew Leo Fincher (b. 1962), American film director and music video director and recipient of a Golden Globe award
Robert Fincher, American Republican politician, Presidential Elector for Alabama, 2000, 2012 13
Terry Fincher (1931-2008), award-winning British photojournalist
Charles "Charlie" Fincher (1892-1915), Australian rules footballer
... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Fincher family +

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr. William Fincher, British Chief Steward, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 14

USS Arizona

Mr. Dexter Wilson Fincher, American Sergeant from Oregon, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 15
Mr. Allen Brady Fincher, American Assistant Cook from Texas, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 15

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
Rye, Walter, A History of Norfolk. London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, 1885. Print
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th April 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/england
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) GRATITUDE 1848. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1848Gratitude.gif
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 20) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html
Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html