Finch
A surname most often from the bird name, likely first given as a nickname for someone thought lively, songful, or birdlike.
The #1,141 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 10,034 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is generally taken from the bird name “finch,” used as a nickname. The word goes back to Old English forms such as fine and related Germanic words, all referring to the finch or goldfinch. In some medieval records, the name seems to have been used for a person with a birdlike trait or for someone identified by the bird as a sign or nickname.
History
Medieval English records show Finch early, and it became a well-established English surname. Some 19th-century writers suggested a possible connection with the personal name Vincent, but that is less convincing than the straightforward bird-name explanation. The name later spread widely in England and remained especially familiar through several gentry and aristocratic families, including the Earls of Winchelsea.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Bird surnames like Finch, Sparrow, Lark, and Nightingale were all noted by early surname writers as lively nickname forms.
From the historical record
“FINAL. See Vinall. FINCH. Perhaps a corruption of Vin- cent. Vincent Herbert of Winchelsea, 20 Edw. I. bore the alias of Finch. The early pedigree of the Earl of Winchelsea's family is very obscure. Their former surname was Herbert, and one of the earliest if not the first who was kno^vn as Finch was this very…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United KingdomNotable people named Finch
- Peter Finch (1916–1977)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.