Fiske
An English surname that likely began as a nickname or occupational name connected with fish or fishing.
The #8,060 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 75,121 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Fiske is usually traced to words for “fish” and, by extension, to someone who caught, sold, or otherwise worked with fish. The historical spellings include Fiske, Fisk, Fisker, and related forms, reflecting the same root across several Germanic languages. In England it is best understood as an occupational or nickname surname, though some early forms may overlap with local dialect words and continental spellings.
History
The name appears in medieval English records in several spellings, and it remained established in Britain and later in North America. Related forms are common in Scandinavian and German-speaking areas, which can make the surname’s exact route vary by family line. In the United States, Fiske is familiar from figures such as Willard Fiske, the Cornell librarian and scholar.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The spelling Fiske preserves an old English-looking form that sits alongside the shorter Fisk and the more continental-looking Fisker and Fischer.
From the historical record
“BOUGHT WITH THE INCOME OF THE FISKE ENDOWMENT FUND THE BEQUEST OF WILLARD FISKE LIBRARIAN OF THE UNIVERSITY 1868-1883 1905 Cornell University Library”
— Etymology of the principal Gaelic national names, personal names, surnames