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

Phinnessee, 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 Phinnessee surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Phinnessee in America

Phinnessee is the 124548th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Phinnessee surname appeared 138 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 Phinnessee.

We can also compare 2010 data for Phinnessee 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 Phinnessee

The surname Phinnessee is believed to have originated in the British Isles, likely in England or Wales. Its roots can be traced back to the early medieval period, around the 11th or 12th century.

The name Phinnessee is thought to derive from an Old English or Old Welsh personal name, possibly a combination of the elements "fin" or "phin," meaning fair or white, and a second element like "ees" or "ese," which may have referred to a person's physical characteristics or place of origin.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Phinnessee appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of landholdings and properties in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. This suggests that the name was already established in parts of England by the late 11th century.

Over the centuries, the name Phinnessee has undergone various spelling variations, including Finnessey, Finnesse, Phinnessy, and Phinness. These variations likely reflect regional dialects and the evolution of English orthography.

Notable individuals with the surname Phinnessee include William Phinnessee (1590-1658), a prominent merchant and landowner in colonial Virginia, and Thomas Phinnessee (1712-1788), a British military officer who served in the American Revolutionary War.

Another historical figure was Mary Phinnessee (1765-1842), an English writer and poet who published several collections of verse in the early 19th century. Her works often explored themes of nature and rural life.

In the late 18th century, a family by the name of Phinnessee settled in the Welsh county of Pembrokeshire, where they established a successful farming estate. This branch of the family contributed to the local community and produced several notable figures, including John Phinnessee (1810-1892), a prominent businessman and philanthropist.

Across the Atlantic, one of the earliest recorded instances of the Phinnessee name in North America dates back to the late 17th century, when Robert Phinnessee (1672-1738) arrived in the Massachusetts Bay Colony as an indentured servant.

These are just a few examples of individuals with the surname Phinnessee who have left their mark on history, demonstrating the deep roots and rich tapestry of this surname's heritage.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Phinnessee

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

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

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

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