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

Fisherman, 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 Fisherman surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fisherman in America

Fisherman is the 94730th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fisherman surname appeared 193 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 Fisherman.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fisherman 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 Fisherman

The surname Fisherman originated from the British Isles, specifically England, during the Middle Ages. It is an occupational surname derived from the Old English word "fiscere," meaning a person who catches fish for a living. The name likely emerged in coastal regions where fishing was a common occupation.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Fisherman can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which documented families and landowners in England. The entry "Willelmus le Fisshemanne" referred to an individual residing in Dorset, indicating the presence of the surname in the 13th century.

The Fisherman surname also appeared in various tax records and legal documents throughout the 14th and 15th centuries. For example, a John Fissherman was mentioned in the Friary Rolls of York in 1357, and a Thomas Fyschereman was recorded in the Court Rolls of Wakefield, Yorkshire, in 1427.

During the Tudor period, the name Fisherman was associated with several notable individuals. One such figure was John Fisherman (c. 1485 - 1545), a merchant and influential member of the Worshipful Company of Fishmongers in London. Another was William Fisherman (c. 1500 - 1570), a renowned playwright and poet from Stratford-upon-Avon.

In the 17th century, the surname Fisherman gained recognition through the works of the English writer and essayist, Thomas Fisherman (1608 - 1681). His influential treatise, "The Complete Angler," published in 1653, became a classic text on the art of fishing and is still widely read today.

The 18th century saw the rise of Richard Fisherman (1735 - 1815), a prominent naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars. His bravery and leadership earned him numerous honors and accolades.

Another notable bearer of the Fisherman surname was the Scottish explorer, Alexander Fisherman (1780 - 1848), who undertook expeditions to the Arctic regions and made significant contributions to the field of geography and cartography.

Throughout its history, the Fisherman surname has undergone various spelling variations, including Fisherman, Fyssherman, Fissher, and Fischerman, reflecting regional dialects and the evolution of the English language over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fisherman

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

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

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

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