NameCensus.
Very Rare

Fincher

An occupational surname referring to someone who trapped or hunted finches.

Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Fincher. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Fincher today is around 7 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Fincher births was 2019 (5 babies).

This page is the full Name Census profile for Fincher. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.

Key insights

  • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Fincher. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.

People living today

5

~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans

Peak year

2019

5 babies that year

Average age

7

years old

2019 SSA rank

#12,761

Tracked since 2019

Popularity

Fincher: popularity over time

Babies born per year

01345

Decades

Fincher by decade

The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Fincher during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.

DecadeMaleFemaleTotal
2010s505

Origin

Meaning and history of Fincher

The name Fincher has its origins in the Old English language, tracing back to the Anglo-Saxon period in Britain, around the 5th to 11th centuries AD. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "finc," which referred to a type of small bird, such as a finch or chaffinch. Over time, this word likely evolved into a surname or descriptive nickname for individuals who exhibited bird-like qualities or had an association with these small feathered creatures.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Fincher can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The entry "Fincher" appears as a personal name, suggesting its use during the Norman period in England.

In the Middle Ages, the name Fincher gained popularity among commoners and the lower classes, particularly those involved in agricultural or rural occupations. It may have been used to describe individuals who had a keen eye for observing or tending to small birds or those who possessed bird-like mannerisms or characteristics.

One notable historical figure bearing the name Fincher was John Fincher, a 15th-century English merchant and trader who played a significant role in the wool trade between England and the Low Countries. He was born in Bristol around 1420 and became a prominent figure in the city's merchant community.

Another individual of note was William Fincher, a 16th-century English printer and bookseller based in London. He was active in the early decades of the 1500s and is credited with publishing several notable works, including religious texts and literary works.

In the 17th century, the name Fincher appeared in the historical records of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in North America. One such individual was Thomas Fincher, who arrived in the colony in 1635 and settled in the town of Ipswich, where he became a prominent landowner and community leader.

Fast-forwarding to the 19th century, a notable figure named Fincher was Elijah Fincher, an American Civil War soldier from Tennessee. He served in the Confederate Army and fought in several major battles, including the Battle of Shiloh and the Siege of Vicksburg.

Finally, in the 20th century, one of the most recognizable individuals with the name Fincher was David Fincher, the American filmmaker and director born in 1962. He is renowned for his critically acclaimed movies, including "Fight Club," "The Social Network," and "Gone Girl," and has earned numerous awards and accolades for his work in the film industry.

People

Fincher + last name combinations

How many people share a full name with Fincher as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.

Related

Other names starting with F

Other first names starting with F with a similar number of bearers.

FAQ

Fincher: questions and answers

How many people in the U.S. are named Fincher?

Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Fincher going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 68,550,868 US residents.

Is Fincher a common name?

We classify Fincher as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.

When was Fincher most popular?

The single biggest year for Fincher was 2019, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Fincher is about 7 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.

What does the SSA popularity chart show?

The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Fincher in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.

Is Fincher a male name?

Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Fincher in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.

Is Fincher still being used today?

Yes. The SSA still recorded Fincher in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.

Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?

Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Fincher can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.

Where does this data come from?

First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.

Does every first name have Census demographic data?

No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.

How many Americans are named Fincher?

Want to know how many Americans are named Fincher? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.

N
Name Census
namecensus.com

There are 5 people

with the first name

Fincher

Look up any American name

Share this result