Fish History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany
Israel
Ireland
Scotland

Etymology of Fish

What does the name Fish mean?

The name Fish is part of the ancient legacy of the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name was taken on by someone who worked as a someone who worked with fish. As one would expect, it is derived from the Old English word fisc, which meant fish. 1

The name is both a forename and surname as "Fisc occurs as a personal name in the Domesday Book of 1086. 2 3

In Normandy where some of the family originated, the family was known by Piscis. And there we found the Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae listing Osmond de Piscis or Pisce, William and John, occuring in Normandy, 1180-1195. This spelling prevailed in some cases as the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed William de Piscis in England at that time. "The name was afterwards translated." 4

Early Origins of the Fish family

The surname Fish was first found in Lincolnshire where Ernis Fish was listed in the Assize Rolls of 1202. A few years later, Daniel Fisc was listed in Suffolk in 1208 and Robert Fisk was listed in Nottingham in 1230. Robert le Fysch was listed in 1297. 3

Up in Scotland, "William Fysch appears as burgess of Edinbergh in 1423, and Gilbert Fysche recorded as burgess there in 1483 had a charter of part of the lands of Estir halys in the regality of Mussilburgh in the same year." 5

Early History of the Fish family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fish research. Another 104 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1483, 1525, 1531, 1614, 1621, 1658 and 1669 are included under the topic Early Fish History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fish Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Fish include Fish, Fishe and others.

Early Notables of the Fish family

Distinguished members of the family include

Simon Fish (died 1531), a 16th century Protestant reformer and English propagandist, best known for helping to spread William Tyndale’s New Testament...

Fish Ranking

In the United States, the name Fish is the 1,377^th most popular surname with an estimated 22,383 people with that name. 6

Migration of the Fish family to Ireland

Some of the Fish family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 78 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fish migration to the United States +

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:

Fish Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

William Fish, who settled in Connecticut in 1630
John Fish, who settled in Boston in 1630
Gabriel Fish, who settled in New Hampshire in 1632
Jonathan Fish, who landed in Lynn, Massachusetts in 1635 7
John Fish, who landed in Connecticut in 1637 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Fish Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Tho Fish, who landed in Virginia in 1705 7
Josa Fish, aged 19, who landed in Virginia in 1773 7

Fish Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Anthony Fish, who landed in New York in 1822 7
Charles Fish, aged 35, who arrived in Key West, Ha in 1837 7
Nathan Fish, who arrived in Mississippi in 1847 7
L B Fish, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 7
W Fish, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Fish migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Fish Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Michael Fish, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1760
Michael Fish, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1761
Mr. Jeremiah Fish U.E., "Fitz" born in Pennsylvania, USA who settled in Pennfield, Kings County, New Brunswick c. 1783 he is listed as signing the Quaker Loyalist Agreement 8

Fish Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Thurston Fish, who arrived in Canada in 1836

Fish migration to Australia +

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

Fish Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Fish, English convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Aurora" on 18th June 1835, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9
John Fish, English convict from Lincoln, who was transported aboard the "Agincourt" on July 6, 1844, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 10
Mr. Isaiah Fish, English convict who was convicted in Essex, England for 15 years, transported aboard the "China" on 67th January 1846, arriving in Norfolk Island, Australia 11
Henry Fish, aged 20, who arrived in South Australia in 1849 aboard the ship "Indian" 12
Henry Fish, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Indian" in 1849 12
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Fish 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:

Fish Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. John Fish, British labourer travelling from London aboard the ship "Victory " arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 17th October 1863 13
Anna M. Fish, aged 18, a servant, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Hindostan" in 1875
Clement Charles Fish, aged 46, a labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Waimea" in 1876
Elizabeth Fish, aged 48, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Waimea" in 1876
Eliza Fish, aged 15, a servant, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Waimea" in 1876

Fish migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 14

Fish Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Christopher Fish, who settled in Barbados in 1635
Christopher Fish, aged 24, who landed in Barbados in 1635 7
Mr. Christopher Fish, (b. 1611), aged 24, British settler travelling from London, England aboard the ship "Anne and Elizabeth" arriving in Barbados in 1635 15

Contemporary Notables of the name Fish (post 1700) +

Stuyvesant Fish (1851-1923), American president of the Illinois Central Railroad
Preserved Fish (1766-1846), American shipping merchant in New York City, President of the Bank of America
Farnum Thayer Fish (1896-1978), early American airplane pilot known as the "Boy Aviator", at the age of 17, he was the "youngest licensed aviator in the world"
Bert Fish (1875-1943), American judge, real-estate operator, finance director, philanthropist, US Ambassador to Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Portugal
Major-General Irwing Andrews Fish (1881-1948), American Commanding General 32nd Division (1938-1942) 16
Matt Fish (b. 1969), retired American professional NBA basketball player
Mardy Simpson Fish (b. 1981), American professional tennis player, American No. 1 in the ATP rankings as of April 2011
Hamilton Fish (1808-1893), American politician
Cliff Fish (1950-2023), English musician, best known for his work in the Paper Lace, a British pop/rock band from Nottingham
Pat Fish (1957-2021), born Patrick Huntrods, an English musician best known for his work as a member of the band The Jazz Butcher
... (Another 8 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Fish family +

Halifax Explosion

Miss Aubrey Fish (1910-1917), Canadian resident from Protestant Orphanage, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 17

HMS Repulse

Mr. Wilfred Fish, British Stoker 2ne Class, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and died in the sinking 18

Pemberton Mill

Miss Elizabeth Fish, factory worker in the Pemberton Mill on 10th January 1860 when the mill collapsed trapping 900 workers as rescue attempts continued into the night, an oil lantern was knocked over further engulfing the trapped workers in fire, she survived without injury

RMS Lusitania

Mrs. Sarah Mary Fish, Canadian 2nd Class passenger from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking by escaping in life boat 15 19
Miss Marion Enid Fish, Canadian 2nd Class passenger from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking by escaping in life boat 15 19
Miss Sadie Eileen Fish, Canadian 2nd Class passenger from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking by escaping in life boat 15 19
Miss Joan Fish, Canadian 2nd Class passenger from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 19

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
"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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th August 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/aurora
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 24) Agincourt voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1844 with 226 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/agincourt/1844
Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 5th February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/china
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The INDIAN 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Indian.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's. Retrieved 23rd September 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2012, February 29) Irwing Fish. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Fish/Irwing_Andrews/USA.html
Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance
HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 7) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/