How common is the surname Fish?

24,924 people in the United States had the surname Fish in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 12,387 Americans. It ranked 1,425th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Fish?

Albert Fish, American serial killer, pedophile and cannibal (1870–1936), followed by Mardy Fish.

Where is the surname Fish most common?

Wikidata records people named Fish in the United States and Australia.

Is the surname Fish getting more or less common?

More common. 24,612 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 24,924 in 2010, up 1.3%.

The surname Fish

An occupational surname, carried by 24,924 people in the United States.

Pronounced /fɪʃ/ 1 syllable Soundex F200

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Fish is more common than 99.1% of them.

Origin

From fish, a metonymic occupational surname for a fish seller or a nickname for someone who resembled a fish. It could also be an Americanized spelling of German Fisch.

Fish is an occupational surname: named after the work an ancestor did.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 24,924 people named Fish in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 12,387 Americans. That is up 1.3% since 2000, when the Census counted 24,612.

#1,425

rank among US surnames

24,924

people in 2010

8.4

per 100,000 Americans

+1.3%

change since 2000 (was #1,314)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#1,416	Quick	25,091	12,305
#1,417	Leslie	25,078	12,311
#1,418	Stern	25,074	12,313
#1,419	Givens	25,067	12,317
#1,420	Tipton	25,064	12,318
#1,421	Coffman	24,980	12,360
#1,422	Greenwood	24,971	12,364

Who is named Fish

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

92% of people named Fish identified as white (not Hispanic), 2.0% as Black (not Hispanic) and 1.9% as American Indian and Alaska Native.

White (not Hispanic) 92%
Black (not Hispanic) 2.0%
American Indian and Alaska Native 1.9%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 1.9%
Two or more races 1.7%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.7%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Fishs

13 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Albert Fish
American serial killer, pedophile and cannibal (1870–1936)
Mardy Fish
American tennis player (born 1981)
Hamilton Fish
American politician (1808–1893)
Bobby Fish
American professional wrestler, born 1976
Stanley Fish
American literary theorist and lawyer (born 1938)
George Fish
American rugby union player (1895–1977)
Samantha Fish
American singer, composer and guitarist, born 1989
Jenny Fish
American speed skater, born 1949
Hamilton Fish III
American politician (1888-1991)
Robert L. Fish
American writer (1912–1981)
Maree Fish
Australian field hockey player, born 1963
Matt Fish
American basketball player (born 1969)

Notable Fishs come mostly from the United States (12) and Australia (1).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Fish

Fish has the Soundex code F200, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code F200.

Questions

Where does the surname Fish come from?: From fish, a metonymic occupational surname for a fish seller or a nickname for someone who resembled a fish. It could also be an Americanized spelling of German Fisch.
How common is the surname Fish?: 24,924 people in the United States had the surname Fish in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 12,387 Americans. It ranked 1,425th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Fish?: In the 2010 Census, 92% of people named Fish identified as white (not Hispanic), and 2.0% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Fish?: Albert Fish, American serial killer, pedophile and cannibal (1870–1936), followed by Mardy Fish.
Where is the surname Fish most common?: Wikidata records people named Fish in the United States and Australia.
How do you pronounce Fish?: Fish is /fɪʃ/, one syllable.
What type of surname is Fish?: Fish is an occupational surname, named after the work an ancestor did.
Is the surname Fish getting more or less common?: More common. 24,612 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 24,924 in 2010, up 1.3%.