2000
#1,076
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 29,703
First available Census row
Per 100,000 11.01
Uncommon Last name
Finch
An English occupational surname referring to a person who caught or sold finches or other small birds.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 33,715 Americans carry the last name Finch. That puts it at #1,179 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 9.84 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 10,166 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Finch surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Finch with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
34K
1 in 10,166
Census rank
#1,179
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
9.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
29K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 29,401 bearers of the surname Finch in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 9.84 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1179th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Finch, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.4%. The next largest groups are Black (14.5%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Finch
Among Census respondents with the surname Finch, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.4%. The next largest groups are Black (14.5%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Finch bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Finch surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.4% · 22,476
- Black or African American14.5% · 4,259
- Two or more races4.1% · 1,209
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 1,089
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 220
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 148
Timeline
Historical Census data for Finch
Finch appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#1,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 30,769
+1,066 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 10.43
Rank movement Down 65 places
2020
#1,179
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 29,401
-1,368 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 9.84
Rank movement Down 38 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,076 | 29,703 | 11.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,141 | 30,769 | 10.43 | +1,066 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 65 places |
| 2020 | #1,179 | 29,401 | 9.84 | -1,368 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 38 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Finch surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,141 | #1,179 | -3.3% |
| Count | 30,769 | 29,401 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 10.43 | 9.84 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Finch bearers went from 30,769 to 29,401 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 38 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,141 to #1,179.
FAQ
Finch surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Finch?
Name Census estimates that about 33,715 living Americans carry the surname Finch. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 10,166 residents.
How common is Finch?
Finch ranks #1,179 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 9.84 per 100,000 residents, which is about 10 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 29,401 people with the surname Finch. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (33,715), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 9.84 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 9.84 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 10 of them to have the surname Finch.
Has Finch become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Finch went from 30,769 recorded bearers to 29,401. That is a decrease of 1,368 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,141 to #1,179.
What does the Census say about the background of Finch?
Among Census respondents with the surname Finch, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.4%. The next largest groups are Black (14.5%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Finch in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.4% (22,476 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Finch appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.4%), Black (14.5%), Two or More Races (4.1%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Finch (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Finch mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a person who caught or sold finches or other small birds. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Finch (9.84 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Finch?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.