NameCensus.

UK surname

Finch

An English occupational surname referring to a person who caught or sold finches or other small birds.

In the 1881 census there were 9,950 people recorded with the Finch surname, ranking it #429 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 13,924, ranked #456, down from #429 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, St Pancras and Lambeth. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Doncaster, Worcester and Wigan.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Finch is 14,766 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 39.9%.

1881 census count

9,950

Ranked #429

Modern count

13,924

2016, ranked #456

Peak year

1999

14,766 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Finch had 9,950 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #429 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 13,924 in 2016, ranked #456.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 14,009 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Finch surname distribution map

The map shows where the Finch surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Finch surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Finch over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 6,350 #435
1861 historical 5,985 #457
1881 historical 9,950 #429
1891 historical 10,320 #427
1901 historical 12,561 #417
1911 historical 14,009 #347
1997 modern 14,234 #425
1998 modern 14,647 #427
1999 modern 14,766 #426
2000 modern 14,664 #430
2001 modern 14,426 #427
2002 modern 14,548 #432
2003 modern 14,084 #435
2004 modern 13,908 #442
2005 modern 13,561 #446
2006 modern 13,546 #450
2007 modern 13,594 #451
2008 modern 13,651 #454
2009 modern 14,009 #451
2010 modern 14,235 #452
2011 modern 14,045 #452
2012 modern 13,769 #451
2013 modern 14,168 #449
2014 modern 14,257 #448
2015 modern 14,029 #453
2016 modern 13,924 #456

Geography

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Where Finchs are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, St Pancras, Lambeth and Standish. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Doncaster, Worcester, Wigan, Bolton and Hastings. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 London parishes London 1
2 London parishes London 3
3 St Pancras London (North Districts)
4 Lambeth London (South Districts)
5 Standish Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Doncaster 003 Doncaster
2 Worcester 005 Worcester
3 Wigan 003 Wigan
4 Bolton 004 Bolton
5 Hastings 010 Hastings

Forenames

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First names often paired with Finch

These lists show first names that appear often with the Finch surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Finch

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Finch, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Finch surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Finch household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Finch is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Finch is most concentrated in decile 5 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Finch falls in decile 6 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Finch is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Finch, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Finch

The surname Finch is of English origin and dates back to the medieval period. It is thought to have derived from the Old English word "finc," which referred to the small songbird known as a finch. The name likely originated as a nickname for someone with a connection to finches, perhaps a birdcatcher or someone who resembled the bird in some way.

In its earliest recorded form, the surname appeared as "le Finch" or "le Fynch" in various medieval records, such as the Hundred Rolls of Buckinghamshire from 1273. This early spelling with the prefix "le" indicates that it was initially used as a descriptive nickname.

The Finch surname can be found in the renowned Domesday Book of 1086, which recorded landowners and tenants in England following the Norman Conquest. This suggests that the name was already established by the late 11th century.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Finch was Roger Finch, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire in 1195. Another early bearer was William le Finch, who was listed in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1262.

The name has been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Finchampstead in Berkshire, which was formerly known as "Finchamsted" or "Fynchamsted" in the 13th century. This place name likely derived from the Old English words "finc" and "hamstede," meaning a homestead or village associated with finches.

Notable individuals with the surname Finch include Sir Henry Finch (1558-1625), an English lawyer and politician who served as Speaker of the House of Commons. Another prominent figure was Daniel Finch (1647-1730), the 2nd Earl of Nottingham and an influential English statesman during the late 17th and early 18th centuries.

In the realm of literature, Anne Finch (1661-1720), also known as Anne Kingsmill Finch and later Countess of Winchilsea, was a renowned English poet and one of the first female writers to achieve literary fame in her own right.

Robert Finch (1783-1830) was a British naval officer and explorer who conducted surveys in the Pacific Ocean and discovered several islands, including the Finch Islands, now known as the Line Islands.

Another prominent individual was John Finch (1884-1957), an English actor and film director who appeared in numerous silent films and early "talkies" during the early 20th century.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Finch families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Finch surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Middlesex leads with 1,673 Finchs recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.72x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 1,673 1.72x
Lancashire 1,169 1.01x
Surrey 1,082 2.28x
Essex 842 4.39x
Kent 633 1.91x
Suffolk 511 4.31x
Devon 396 1.96x
Worcestershire 374 2.95x
Warwickshire 272 1.11x
Hampshire 261 1.31x
Sussex 255 1.56x
Staffordshire 248 0.76x
Yorkshire 211 0.22x
Gloucestershire 193 1.01x
Norfolk 187 1.25x
Buckinghamshire 174 2.96x
Hertfordshire 129 1.92x
Berkshire 123 1.69x
Cambridgeshire 106 1.72x
Nottinghamshire 100 0.76x
Leicestershire 96 0.89x
Oxfordshire 96 1.60x
Northamptonshire 89 0.97x
Cheshire 83 0.39x
Bedfordshire 80 1.59x
Durham 77 0.27x
Lincolnshire 56 0.36x
Derbyshire 55 0.36x
Shropshire 53 0.63x
Herefordshire 38 0.95x
Monmouthshire 35 0.50x
Cornwall 31 0.28x
Glamorgan 26 0.15x
Somerset 23 0.15x
Wiltshire 23 0.27x
Cardiganshire 20 0.84x
Lanarkshire 19 0.06x
Huntingdonshire 18 0.93x
Northumberland 17 0.12x
Rutland 16 2.24x
Dorset 15 0.24x
Royal Navy 13 1.12x
Carmarthenshire 9 0.22x
Channel Islands 9 0.31x
Cumberland 7 0.08x
Aberdeenshire 6 0.07x
Caernarfonshire 4 0.10x
Brecknockshire 3 0.15x
Pembrokeshire 3 0.10x
Midlothian 2 0.02x
Stirlingshire 2 0.06x
Anglesey 1 0.06x
Dumfriesshire 1 0.05x
Flintshire 1 0.04x
Montgomeryshire 1 0.04x
Radnorshire 1 0.13x
Westmorland 1 0.05x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Lambeth in Surrey leads with 224 Finchs recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.64x.

Place Total Index
Lambeth 224 2.64x
Islington London 158 1.68x
Camberwell 126 2.03x
Kensington London 116 2.15x
Hackney London 103 1.89x
St Pancras London 102 1.30x
Preston 96 3.11x
Dudley 89 5.76x
Wigan 85 5.27x
Standish With Langtree 83 58.41x
West Ham 80 1.89x
Battersea 79 2.21x
Hammersmith London 75 3.13x
St Marylebone London 74 1.43x
Aston 70 1.04x
Bethnal Green London 69 1.63x
Newington 68 1.89x
Reigate Foreign 67 13.06x
Shoreditch London 67 1.59x
Birmingham 66 0.81x
Manchester 62 1.19x
Bow London 55 4.44x
Brighton 54 1.63x
Greenwich 52 3.36x
Bromley London 48 2.24x
Deptford St Paul 48 1.88x
Warrington 48 3.51x
Poplar London 46 2.51x
Gestingthorpe 43 200.93x
Wolverhampton 43 1.70x
Clerkenwell London 42 1.83x
Hampstead London 41 2.71x
Kingston On Thames 41 3.60x
Paddington London 41 1.15x
Willesden 41 4.47x
Bermondsey 40 1.38x
Blackburn 40 1.30x
Chelsea London 40 1.37x
Croydon 40 1.52x
Hulme 40 1.66x
Nottingham St Mary 40 1.18x
Frimley 39 28.89x
Lewisham 39 2.20x
Mile End Old Town London 39 1.88x
Pemberton 36 7.82x
Romford 36 11.86x
Tonbridge 35 2.92x
Plymouth St Andrew 34 2.18x
Eastbourne 33 4.37x
Felstead 33 50.17x
Lockerley 33 165.50x
St George Hanover Square 33 1.93x
Stoke Damerel 33 2.33x
St Luke London 32 2.05x
Chorley 31 4.79x
Plymouth Charles The 31 3.48x
Heigham 30 3.74x
Maldon St Marys 30 65.22x
Westminster St John 30 2.53x
Beaconsfield 29 53.25x
Margate St John Baptist 29 4.77x
Enfield 28 4.39x
Ince In Makerfield 28 5.21x
Lowestoft 28 5.00x
Streatham 28 3.88x
Aldershot 27 4.04x
Liverpool 27 0.39x
Isleworth 26 6.01x
South Mimms 26 19.50x
Southampton St Mary 26 2.07x
Halstead 25 11.16x
Harberton 25 54.23x
Rochester St Margaret 25 7.15x
Ashby De La Zouch 24 9.60x
Belchamp Walter 24 116.85x
Fulham London 24 1.70x
Ipswich St Mathew 24 7.23x
Maidstone 24 2.43x
Upton On Severn 24 28.85x
Droylsden 23 6.11x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Finch surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 616
Elizabeth 381
Sarah 321
Alice 189
Ellen 186
Ann 172
Emma 170
Jane 168
Eliza 160
Emily 145
Annie 126
Charlotte 88
Margaret 84
Louisa 81
Hannah 80
Harriet 76
Martha 73
Fanny 70
Caroline 61
Edith 58
Florence 58
Maria 58
Kate 56
Ada 55
Lucy 50
Susan 49
Anne 42
Catherine 42
Frances 39
Harriett 37
Amelia 36
Esther 36
Agnes 33
Clara 33
Rose 33
Julia 31
Rebecca 29
Sophia 29
Susannah 29
Jessie 28
Matilda 28
Amy 22
Minnie 22
Elizth. 20
Laura 20
Rosa 20
Eleanor 19
Anna 16
Gertrude 16
Ethel 14

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Finch surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 709
John 474
George 368
James 323
Thomas 290
Charles 254
Henry 246
Arthur 140
Alfred 130
Edward 125
Joseph 123
Frederick 118
Robert 118
Walter 102
Richard 84
Samuel 84
Harry 79
Albert 66
Ernest 47
Herbert 47
Frank 45
Edwin 34
Wm. 29
David 23
Daniel 20
Fredrick 20
Fred 19
Francis 18
Fredk. 17
Isaac 17
Thos. 16
Benjamin 15
Chas. 13
Peter 13
Stephen 13
Geo. 12
Jesse 12
Sidney 12
Frederic 10
Jonathan 10
Percy 10
Jacob 9
Lewis 9
Mark 9
Sydney 9
Abraham 8
Earnest 8
Josiah 8
Reuben 8
Jas. 7

FAQ

Finch surname: questions and answers

How common was the Finch surname in 1881?

In 1881, 9,950 people were recorded with the Finch surname. That placed it at #429 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Finch surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 13,924 in 2016. That gives Finch a modern rank of #456.

What does the Finch surname mean?

An English occupational surname referring to a person who caught or sold finches or other small birds.

What does the Finch map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Finch bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.