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

Finister, 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 Finister surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Finister in America

Finister is the 47966th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Finister surname appeared 441 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Finister.

We can also compare 2010 data for Finister 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 Finister

The surname Finister has its origins in England, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "fenn" and "ister," which together mean "fen-dweller" or "one who lives near a marsh or swamp."

The earliest known record of the name Finister can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire, a census-like survey conducted in 1273. The entry lists a Robert Fenyster as residing in the village of Ely, which was historically surrounded by marshes and fens.

In the 14th century, variations of the name appear in various historical documents, including the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield and the Poll Tax returns of Yorkshire. Spellings such as Fenister, Fynister, and Fynester are recorded, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling at the time.

One notable early bearer of the name was John Finister, a landowner and yeoman farmer from Lincolnshire, who is mentioned in the Manor Court Rolls of Spalding in 1412. His descendants continued to hold land in the area for several generations.

In the 16th century, the Finister name is associated with the town of Finisterre in Cornwall, which was likely named after the Spanish town of Finisterre ("Land's End" in English). It is possible that some Finisters migrated from other parts of England to Cornwall during this period, adopting the placename as their surname.

A prominent figure in the history of the Finister name was Sir William Finister (1564-1632), a wealthy merchant and Member of Parliament for the city of Bristol. He was involved in the early colonization efforts in North America and was a shareholder in the Newfoundland Company.

Another noteworthy Finister was Robert Finister (1642-1711), an English clergyman and author who served as the Archdeacon of Norfolk. His works on theology and ecclesiastical history were widely read in his time.

In the 18th century, the Finister name gained recognition through the achievements of Captain John Finister (1712-1789), a naval officer who distinguished himself in several battles during the Seven Years' War and the American Revolutionary War.

Other individuals of note include Sarah Finister (1788-1856), a pioneering educator and founder of one of the earliest schools for girls in Liverpool, and James Finister (1823-1901), a prominent industrialist and philanthropist who played a key role in the development of the textile industry in Yorkshire.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Finister

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

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 Finister 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 Finister 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 Finister was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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