Fisk
An old surname meaning “fish,” originally used as a nickname, occupational label, or sometimes a name tied to fish-trading or fishing.
The #3,634 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 31,572 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Fisk comes from a very old Germanic word for “fish,” appearing in Old English as fisc and in Old Norse as fiskr. In surname use, it could point directly to the animal or, more often, to someone connected with fishing, fish-selling, or a fish-related nickname. Early lexicographers also note that some fish-based surnames may have been applied in local or personal-name contexts rather than always literally.
History
Fisk is well established in English records and appears alongside the more common form Fish. Nineteenth-century surname writers often treated it as a nickname surname, though some also linked it with fishing or fish trade. The name also has Scandinavian resonance, which fits its Old Norse and Old English background.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
One early surname dictionary glossed Fisk simply as “fish,” showing how directly medieval surnames could grow out of everyday words.
From the historical record
“descendants. FISK. A-Sax./w, a fish. FIST. The same as Feist. FITCH. A polecat — perhaps the sign adoj^ted by some medieval furrier. It may however be a corruption of Fitz. H.R. Fitche. FITCHETT. A polecat: formerly a term of contempt. It may have a much”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United KingdomNotable people named Fisk
- Robert Fisk (1946–2020)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.