Contents [hide]

Fink History Spelling Variations Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Fink History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany
Israel

The name Fink is a proud symbol of ancient Jewish culture. Before the late Middle Ages, people were known only by a single name. However, as the population increased and travelers set out on their journeys, it became necessary for people to adopt a second name to identify themselves. Jewish hereditary surnames were adopted from a variety of different sources. As a Jewish surname, the name Fink derives from a variety of sources. It is thought to have been an occupational name, deriving from the German word finch, which referred to the bird, and would have been given to someone who raised or sold finches. Another possible origin is from the female given name Finkle, which was a popular name in medieval Germany. It could also be an ornamental surname deriving from the Old German word finkelstein, which means diamond. Lastly, the name could be derived from the Yiddish word funk, which meant spark. The word funkenstein translates as sparkle stone, or diamond.

Fink Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: finkleman and others.

Fink Ranking

In the United States, the name Fink is the 1,311^st most popular surname with an estimated 22,383 people with that name. 1

Fink migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Fink Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Johan Willem Fink, who landed in New York in 1709 2
Kasper Fink, who arrived in New York in 1709 2
Maria Fink, who arrived in New York, NY in 1709 2
Elisabetha Fink, who arrived in America in 1733 2
Johan Nickell Fink, aged 29, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1738 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Fink Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Gottfried Fink, aged 23, who landed in America in 1803 2
Joh Fink, who arrived in North America in 1832 2
Martin Fink, who landed in North America in 1832 2
John P Fink, who arrived in Charleston, South Carolina in 1834 2
John Fink, who landed in Maryland in 1836 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Fink migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Fink Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Anna Fink, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1757
Catherina Fink, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1757
Christian Fink, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1757
Friederick Fink, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1757
Margereta Fink, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1757
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Fink 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:

Fink Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mrs. Fink, British settler travelling from London via Cape ports with 3 children aboard the ship "Pembroke Castle" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 5th November 1889 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Fink (post 1700) +

Thomas A. Fink (1928-2021), American Republican politician, Mayor of Anchorage (1987-1994), 7th Speaker of the Alaska House of Representatives (1973-1975)
Elizabeth Fink (1945-2015), American civil rights and criminal defense attorney, known for her lawsuits concerning the Attica Prison riots
Stanley Fink (1936-1997), American lawyer and politician
Orenda Fink (b. 1975), American musician
John Fink (b. 1940), American actor
Aaron J. Fink (d. 1990), American urologist
David Fink, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Michigan 9th District, 2002 4
Charlotte Fink, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Missouri, 2008 4
Charles A. Fink, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Michigan State Senate 20th District, 1932 4
Charles Fink, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey, 1853 4
... (Another 28 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Fink family +

Arrow Air Flight 1285

Mr. Kevin Foster Fink (1962-1985), American Private from Dayton, Pennsylvania, USA who died in the Arrow Air Flight 1285 crash 5

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 20) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
American War Memorials - Flight 1285. (Retrieved 2016, August 24) . Retrieved from http://www.uswarmemorials.org/html/monument_details.php?SiteID=317&MemID=550