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

Fishback, 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 Fishback surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fishback in America

Fishback is the 15309th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fishback surname appeared 1,917 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 Fishback.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fishback 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 Fishback

The surname Fishback originates from England and dates back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English words "fisc" meaning fish and "bæc" meaning back or ridge, likely referring to a person who lived near a fish-filled stream or ridge.

Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name Fishback can be found in medieval tax rolls and parish records from various counties in England. For example, a Robert Fisshebak was listed in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire in 1275.

In the 16th century, the Fishback surname appeared in several historical documents, including the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1524, which listed a Richard Fyshbak. The name was also found in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1558, where a John Fyshbacke was mentioned.

One of the earliest known individuals with the Fishback surname was William Fishback, born around 1560 in Staffordshire, England. He was a farmer and landowner, according to local records from the time.

In the 17th century, the Fishback family had established itself in various parts of England, including Warwickshire, where a Thomas Fishback was born in 1634. He later emigrated to the American colonies and settled in Virginia.

Another notable individual with the Fishback surname was John Fishback, born in 1670 in Gloucestershire, England. He was a merchant and trader, and his name appeared in several business records and transactions from the late 17th and early 18th centuries.

As the centuries progressed, the Fishback surname continued to be found throughout England, with variations in spelling such as Fishbeck, Fishbak, and Fishbuck. Some individuals with this surname achieved notable positions, such as Robert Fishback, born in 1745 in Wiltshire, who served as a member of parliament for a brief period in the late 18th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fishback

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

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

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

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