Fishey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

The name Fishey is Anglo-Saxon in origin. It was a name given to a someone who worked with fish. As one would expect, it is derived from the Old English word fisc, which meant fish. 1

The name is both a forename and surname as "Fisc occurs as a personal name in the Domesday Book of 1086. 2 3

In Normandy where some of the family originated, the family was known by Piscis. And there we found the Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae listing Osmond de Piscis or Pisce, William and John, occuring in Normandy, 1180-1195. This spelling prevailed in some cases as the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed William de Piscis in England at that time. "The name was afterwards translated." 4

Early Origins of the Fishey family

The surname Fishey was first found in Lincolnshire where Ernis Fish was listed in the Assize Rolls of 1202. A few years later, Daniel Fisc was listed in Suffolk in 1208 and Robert Fisk was listed in Nottingham in 1230. Robert le Fysch was listed in 1297. 3

Up in Scotland, "William Fysch appears as burgess of Edinbergh in 1423, and Gilbert Fysche recorded as burgess there in 1483 had a charter of part of the lands of Estir halys in the regality of Mussilburgh in the same year." 5

Early History of the Fishey family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fishey research. Another 104 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1483, 1525, 1531, 1614, 1621, 1658 and 1669 are included under the topic Early Fishey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fishey Spelling Variations

Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Fishey include Fish, Fishe and others.

Early Notables of the Fishey family

Distinguished members of the family include Simon Fish (died 1531), a 16th century Protestant reformer and English propagandist, best known for helping to spread William Tyndale’s New Testament. He was a "member of the University of Oxford, and entered Gray's Inn about 1525...
Another 42 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Fishey Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Fishey family to Ireland

Some of the Fishey family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 78 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Fishey family

Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Fishey were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records: William Fish who settled in Connecticut in 1630; John Fish settled in Boston in 1630; Gabriel Fish settled in New Hampshire in 1632; Christopher Fish settled in Barbados in 1635.

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)