Fish History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany
Israel

Etymology of Fish

What does the name Fish mean?

The German state of Saxony, where the distinguished surname Fish arose, is renowned for both its beauty, industry, and economic power. However, in the medieval era, Germany was fragmented and inhabited by numerous Barbarian tribes, who fought amongst themselves for control of the land. The ancient dukedom of Saxony derived its name from the Germanic tribe name the Saxons who inhabited the territory after the fall of the Roman Empire.

Early Origins of the Fish family

The surname Fish was first found in Saxony, where the name contributed greatly to the development of an emerging nation which would later play a large role in the tribal and national conflicts of the area. In later years the name branched into many houses, each playing a significant role in the local social and political affairs.

Early History of the Fish family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fish research. Another 117 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1646, 1656, 1691, 1716, 1720, 1723, 1733, 1745, 1766, 1775, 1778, 1779, 1783, 1784, 1788, 1816 and 1825 are included under the topic Early Fish History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fish Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Fischer, Ficher, Fisscher, Fisher, Fissher, Fisch, Fish, Fische and many more.

Early Notables of the Fish family

Prominent bearers of the family name Fish at this time were Johann Fischer (1646-1720) was a composer in the French style, born 1733 at Freiburg; Johann Fischer (1646-1716), a German violinist, keyboardist and composer of the Baroque era; Edwin Fischer was a Swiss pianist, who was famous for his interpretations of Bach and Beethoven. Johann Bernhard Fischer von Berlach (1656-1723) and Johann Michael Fischer (1691-1766) exerted great influence on the Baroque architecture of the time. Fischer was a family of singers of the 18th and 19th centuries. The founder was Ludwig, a Bass, of whom Otto Jahn speaks as 'an artist...
Another 103 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Fish Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

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. 1

Fish migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

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 2
John Fish, who landed in Connecticut in 1637 2
... (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 2
Josa Fish, aged 19, who landed in Virginia in 1773 2

Fish Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Anthony Fish, who landed in New York in 1822 2
Charles Fish, aged 35, who arrived in Key West, Ha in 1837 2
Nathan Fish, who arrived in Mississippi in 1847 2
L B Fish, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 2
W Fish, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 2
... (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 3

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) 4
John Fish, English convict from Lincoln, who was transported aboard the "Agincourt" on July 6, 1844, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 5
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 6
Henry Fish, aged 20, who arrived in South Australia in 1849 aboard the ship "Indian" 7
Henry Fish, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Indian" in 1849 7
... (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 8
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. 9

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 2
Mr. Christopher Fish, (b. 1611), aged 24, British settler travelling from London, England aboard the ship "Anne and Elizabeth" arriving in Barbados in 1635 10

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) 11
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
Dame Jocelyn Barbara Fish DNZM CBE JP (1930-2021), née Green, a New Zealand women's rights campaigner, born in Whangarei, New Zealand
... (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) 12

HMS Repulse

Mr. Wilfred Fish, British Stoker 2ne Class, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and died in the sinking 13

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 14
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 14
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 14
Miss Joan Fish, Canadian 2nd Class passenger from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 14

The Fish Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Vorwärts in Treu und Wahreit
Motto Translation: Forward in faithful and truth

Citations +

"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/