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

Fisch, 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 Fisch surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fisch in America

Fisch is the 12423rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fisch surname appeared 2,502 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Fisch.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fisch 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 Fisch

The surname FISCH is of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word "visch," meaning "fish." It is believed to have originated as an occupational name for a fisherman or fish merchant in the medieval period.

The earliest known record of the FISCH surname dates back to the 13th century in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony in Germany. It was often spelled as "Visch" or "Fisch" in old records and manuscripts from that time.

One notable early reference to the FISCH name can be found in the "Annales Fuldenses," a medieval chronicle written by the monks of the Fulda Abbey in Germany, which mentions a person named "Visch" in the year 1247.

In the 14th century, the FISCH surname appeared in various German city records, such as the "Stadtbücher" (city books) of Nuremberg, where a certain "Heinrich Fisch" was documented in 1367.

During the Middle Ages, the FISCH name was also associated with several prominent individuals, including Johann Fisch (c. 1435-1505), a German Renaissance humanist and scholar who served as the rector of the University of Ingolstadt.

Another notable figure was Georg Fisch (1603-1675), a German Protestant theologian and writer who authored several religious works and served as a professor at the University of Leipzig.

In the 18th century, the FISCH surname gained further recognition with the birth of Johann Fisch (1720-1786), a German composer and organist who worked in the court of the Prince-Bishop of Würzburg.

The name also spread to other parts of Europe, with instances such as Pieter Fisch (1616-1675), a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his still-life paintings featuring fish and other marine subjects.

Throughout the centuries, the FISCH surname has been associated with various occupations, including fishermen, merchants, scholars, and artists, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of those who bore this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fisch

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

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

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

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