Finch History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The ancestors of the Finch family lived among the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. Finch was a name given to a person who was referred to as a finch deriving from the small songbird's name. The surname may have also an occupational origin, denoting someone who caught and sold finches. [1] [2] Godric Finc was listed as an Old English Byname (1049-1058.) Later, Ælfwin Finche, and Allwin Finke were recorded (1148-1167.) [3]

Early Origins of the Finch family

The surname Finch was first found in Hertfordshire where they held a family seat at Redheath. Conjecturally the name became established as Finch by Vincent Herbert of Winchelsea, who by a strange combination of Vincent and Winch of Winchelsea, bore the alias of Finch, and became the Earl of Winchelsea, having the Christian name of Finch. [4]

"Vincent Herbert of Winchelsea, 20 Edward I. [(during the twentieth year of Edward I's reign)] bore the alias of Finch. The early pedigree of the Earl of Winchelsea's family is very obscure. Their former surname was Herbert, and one of the earliest if not the first who was known as Finch was this very Vincent. In Sussex the baptismal name Vincent is often corrupted to Winch or Vinch." [4]

In Norfolk, the first record was that of Gilbert le Finch who was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls of 1205. Walter le Vinch was found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275 and later again, John Vynk was found in Colchester in 1373. "Ælfwin (Aylwin) Finche, Finke was of the family which gave name to Finch Lane and St Benet Fink in London." [3]

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list Thomas Finch, Cambridgeshire and the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1370 include: Agnes Finche; Thomas Fynche; and Johannes Fynche. [5]

In Somerset, Philip Fynch was listed there, 1 Edward III (during the first year of Edward III's reign.) [6]

"The name of Finch was well represented in the eastern counties of Norfolk, Lincoln, Cambridge, and Bedford, in the reign of Edward I., and there were at that time a few of the name in Shropshire. It now occurs also in Gloucestershire and Worcestershire." [7]

Early History of the Finch family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Finch research. Another 157 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1300, 1337, 1379, 1584, 1599, 1614, 1621, 1626, 1627, 1628, 1639, 1649, 1660, 1672, 1682, 1689, 1698, 1702, 1704, 1705, 1711, 1712, 1719, 1729, 1738, 1901 and 1933 are included under the topic Early Finch History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Finch Spelling Variations

Finch has been spelled many different ways. Before English spelling became standardized over the last few hundred years, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. As the English language changed in the Middle Ages, absorbing pieces of Latin and French, as well as other languages, the spelling of people's names also changed considerably, even over a single lifetime. Many variations of the name Finch have been found, including Finch, Vinch, Vynch, Fynch, Vince, Vynche and others.

Early Notables of the Finch family

Notables of the family at this time include

John Finch, 1st Baron Finch (1584-1660), an English judge and politician, Speaker of the House of Commons
Sir Moyle Finch (1614-?), 1st Earl of Winchilsea
his son Thomas Finch (d. 1639), 2nd Earl of Winchilsea
Sir Heneage Finch (c.1627-1689), 3rd Earl of Winchilsea
Charles Finch, 4th Earl of Winchilsea PC (1672-1712), British peer and Member of Parliament, First Lord of Trade (1711-1712), Lord Lieutenant and Custos Rotulorum of Kent (1704-1705), Vice-Admiral of...
Martin Fynch or Finch (1628?-1698), an English ejected minister
Heneage Finch, 1st Earl of Nottingham, PC (1621-1682), Lord Chancellor of England
John Finch (c.1682-1729), 6th Earl of Winchilsea
Sir John Finch (1626-1682), Ambassador of England to the Ottoman Empire

Finch World Ranking

In the United States, the name Finch is the 961^st most popular surname with an estimated 32,331 people with that name. [8] However, in Australia, the name Finch is ranked the 795^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,923 people with that name. [9] And in the United Kingdom, the name Finch is the 438^th popular surname with an estimated 14,693 people with that name. [10]

Migration of the Finch family to Ireland

Some of the Finch family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 50 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Finch migration to the United States +

In an attempt to escape the chaos experienced in England, many English families boarded overcrowded and diseased ships sailing for the shores of North America and other British colonies. Those families hardy enough, and lucky enough, to make the passage intact were rewarded with land and a social environment less prone to religious and political persecution. Many of these families became important contributors to the young colonies in which they settled. Early immigration and passenger lists have documented some of the first Finchs to arrive on North American shores:

Finch Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Frances Finch, who landed in Virginia in 1620 [11]
Mary Finch, who landed in America in 1620 [11]
Henry Finch, who landed in Virginia in 1630 [11]
Abraham Finch of Yorkshire, who sailed from Isle of Wright arriving in Salem, Massachusetts in 1630 aboard the ship "Ambrose" as part of the Winthrop Fleet, he settled in Boston Massachusetts
Daniel Finch of Yorkshire, who sailed from Isle of Wright arriving in Salem, Massachusetts in 1630 aboard the ship "Ambrose" as part of the Winthrop Fleet [11]
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Finch Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Eliza Finch, who arrived in Virginia in 1702 [11]
Roger Finch, who settled in Virginia with his sons William and Thomas in 1704
Frantz Finch, who landed in New Jersey in 1709 [11]
Andreas Finch, who landed in New York, NY in 1710 [11]
Johann Wilhelm Finch, who landed in New York, NY in 1710 [11]
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Finch Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Simon Finch, aged 55, who arrived in Maine in 1812 [11]
Hugh Finch, aged 40, who arrived in South Carolina in 1812 [11]
Johann Finch, aged 23, who landed in New York, NY in 1847 [11]
Phillip Finch, who arrived in New York, NY in 1847 [11]
John Finch, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1848 [11]
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Finch Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Marie Finch, aged 2, who landed in New York, NY in 1902 [11]
Katharine Finch, aged 14, who arrived in New York, NY in 1902 [11]
Konrad Finch, aged 57, who landed in New York, NY in 1902 [11]
Wilhelm Finch, aged 17, who arrived in New York, NY in 1902 [11]

Finch migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Finch Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Henry Finch, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1760
Mr. Edward Finch U.E. who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1784 [12]
Mr. Henry Finch U.E. who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1784 he died in 1814 [12]
Mr. Reuben Finch U.E. who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1784 [12]
Mr. Titus Finch U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 [12]
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Finch Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

James Finch, who settled in Harbour Grace, Newfoundland in 1810
Elizabeth Finch, who settled in Brigus, Newfoundland in 1829 [13]
Miss. Maria Finch, aged 1 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Juliet" departing 3rd July 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 28th August 1847 but she died on board [14]

Finch migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Finch Settlers in Australia in the 18th Century

Mr. George Finch, English convict who was convicted in Kent, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Barwell" in September 1797, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [15]

Finch Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Peter Finch, British Convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Coromandel" on 27th October 1819, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) [16]
Mr. John Finch, English convict who was convicted in Sussex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Eliza" on 22nd September 1819, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [17]
Mr. Joseph Finch who was convicted in Surrey, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Dick" on 2nd October 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [18]
Mr. John Finch, British Convict who was convicted in Kent, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Commodore Hayes" in April 1823, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) [19]
Mr. Thomas Finch, English convict who was convicted in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Chapman" on 6th April 1824, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) [20]
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Finch migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Finch Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

T Finch, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1845
Mrs. Finch, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "John Wickliffe" arriving in Port Chalmers, Otago, New Zealand on 23rd March 1848 [21]
Mr. Finch, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "John Wickliffe" arriving in Port Chalmers, Otago, New Zealand on 23rd March 1848 [21]
Mr. Milton Finch, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "John Wickliffe" arriving in Port Chalmers, Otago, New Zealand on 23rd March 1848 [21]
John Finch, aged 34, a farm labourer, who arrived in Otago aboard the ship "John Wickliffe" in 1848 [21]
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Finch migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. [22]

Finch Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Benjamin Finch, who settled in Barbados in 1678 with his wife and his daughter

Contemporary Notables of the name Finch (post 1700) +

Peter Finch (1916-1977), born Frederick George Peter Ingle Finch, an English actor perhaps best known for his role in "Network" as crazed television anchor man Howard Beale; he was posthumously nominated for and won a Best Actor Oscar for his role
Gary D. Finch (1944-2023), American politician, member of the New York State Assembly from 1999 to 2021
Charlie Finch (1953-1954), American art critic who wrote for Artnet and Coagula, father of novelist Charles Finch
George Finch (1888-1970), American chemist
Charles Baker Finch (1920-1996), American businessman and lawyer, CEO of Allegheny Power System (1971 to 1985)
Stanley Wellington Finch (1872-1951), American first director of the Bureau of Investigation, which would eventually become the FBI
Robert Hutchison Finch (1925-1995), American Republican politician and 38th Lieutenant Governor of California
Jennifer Finch (b. 1966), American photographer and musician
Lance Sydney George Finch QC OBC (1938-2020), Canadian jurist, Chief Justice of British Columbia Court of Appeal (2001-2013)
Dame Janet Valerie Finch DBE, DL, AcSS (b. 1946), British sociologist and academic administrator
... (Another 5 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Finch family +

Halifax Explosion

Mr. Charles Harry Finch (1867-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) [23]
Mr. William Finch (1888-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) [23]

HMS Hood

Mr. John L Finch (b. 1923), English Boy 1st Class serving for the Royal Navy from Samastipur, Bengal, India, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking [24]

HMS Repulse

Mr. Victor John Russell Finch, British Marine, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking [25]

RMS Lusitania

Mrs. Eva Eliza Finch, Canadian 2nd Class passenger from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking and was recovered [26]

RMS Titanic

Mr. Harry Finch (d. 1912), aged 18, English Steward from Southampton, Hampshire who worked aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking [27]

The Finch Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Nil conscire sibi
Motto Translation: To have a conscience free from guilt.

Citations +

Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 75)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 29th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barwell
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 10th February 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eliza
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 8th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/Dick
Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 4th March 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/commodore-hayes
Convict Records of Australia. Retreived 26th January 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/chapman
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance
H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm
HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 7) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html