Find out how popular the last name Finch is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Finch.

Finch, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Finch surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Finch in America

Finch is the 1141st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Finch surname appeared 30,769 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 10 people would have the surname Finch.

We can also compare 2010 data for Finch to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Finch

The surname Finch is of English origin and dates back to the medieval period. It is thought to have derived from the Old English word "finc," which referred to the small songbird known as a finch. The name likely originated as a nickname for someone with a connection to finches, perhaps a birdcatcher or someone who resembled the bird in some way.

In its earliest recorded form, the surname appeared as "le Finch" or "le Fynch" in various medieval records, such as the Hundred Rolls of Buckinghamshire from 1273. This early spelling with the prefix "le" indicates that it was initially used as a descriptive nickname.

The Finch surname can be found in the renowned Domesday Book of 1086, which recorded landowners and tenants in England following the Norman Conquest. This suggests that the name was already established by the late 11th century.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Finch was Roger Finch, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire in 1195. Another early bearer was William le Finch, who was listed in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1262.

The name has been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Finchampstead in Berkshire, which was formerly known as "Finchamsted" or "Fynchamsted" in the 13th century. This place name likely derived from the Old English words "finc" and "hamstede," meaning a homestead or village associated with finches.

Notable individuals with the surname Finch include Sir Henry Finch (1558-1625), an English lawyer and politician who served as Speaker of the House of Commons. Another prominent figure was Daniel Finch (1647-1730), the 2nd Earl of Nottingham and an influential English statesman during the late 17th and early 18th centuries.

In the realm of literature, Anne Finch (1661-1720), also known as Anne Kingsmill Finch and later Countess of Winchilsea, was a renowned English poet and one of the first female writers to achieve literary fame in her own right.

Robert Finch (1783-1830) was a British naval officer and explorer who conducted surveys in the Pacific Ocean and discovered several islands, including the Finch Islands, now known as the Line Islands.

Another prominent individual was John Finch (1884-1957), an English actor and film director who appeared in numerous silent films and early "talkies" during the early 20th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Finch

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Finch.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Finch was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Finch has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Finch was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Finch, please contact us.

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