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Phoenix History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Phoenix History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

The ancestors of the name Phoenix date back to the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the Phoenix family lived in Fenwick, which was in Northumberland and in the West Riding of Yorkshire. This habitation name was originally derived from the Old English fenn, which means marsh and wic, which literally means a dairy farm. In this case the original bearers of the surname Phoenix lived in marshy area where they was a dairy farm.

"Fenwick Tower was the seat of the ancient family of the same name, so numerous in Northumberland; and so continued till 1688, when Sir John Fenwick alienated his estates for the sum of £20,000." 1

Early Origins of the Phoenix family

The surname Phoenix was first found in Northumberland where the family held a family seat at Stamfordham from ancient times. "The church [at Stamfordham], erected about the 13th century, is in the early English style, and stands west of the market-cross; the chancel was built by the Fenwicks, of Fenwick Tower, and contains several monumental inscriptions to that ancient family and the Swinburnes." 1

"In pulling down the remains of Fenwick Tower here, in 1775, several hundred gold nobles, of the coinage of Edward III., were found in an open stone chest, supposed to have been concealed in 1360 on the invasion of David, King of Scotland, who made prisoners the two sons of Sir John Fenwick, then owner of the castle." 1

Over in Blagdon, another branch of the family was found and held estates for some time. "This place, which lies on the south side of the Blyth, was formerly called Blakedene, and was part of the ancient barony of Morpeth: the family of Fenwick flourished on the spot for three centuries, the 15th, 16th, and 17th." 1

Further to the north in Scotland, the name is from "the village of Fenwick in the parish of the same name in Ayrshire. " 2 The earliest record of the family was Nicholaus Fynwyk who was provost of Ayr in 1313. Later, Reginald de Fynwyck or Fynvyk appears as bailie and alderman of the same burgh in 1387 and 1401. Interestingly, there is one listing of the family with the lower case "ff" prefix: "Robert de ffenwic who witnessed a confirmation charter by de Vmframvilla to the Abbey of Kelso c. 1220." So as to tie this family with the aforementioned Northumberland entry, we found the following: "The Border Clan of Fenwicks, were most probably kin to the Fenwicks or Fenwykes of Northumberland who took their name from their ancient castle near Stamfordham. " 2

Early History of the Phoenix family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Phoenix research. Another 152 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1313, 1570, 1578, 1589, 1593, 1603, 1617, 1618, 1624, 1640, 1644, 1645, 1646, 1647, 1648, 1654, 1657, 1658, 1662, 1670, 1675, 1676, 1683, 1688, 1689, 1690, 1694, 1695, 1697, 1701, 1710, 1722 and 1760 are included under the topic Early Phoenix History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Phoenix Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Phoenix are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Phoenix include: Fenwick, Fenwicks, Fennick, Fenwicke and others.

Early Notables of the Phoenix family

Distinguished members of the family include William Fenwick, Sheriff of Northumberland in 1578 and 1589; Sir John Fenwick, 1st Baronet (c.1570-c.1658), an English landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1624 and 1648, supporter of the Parliamentary cause in the Civil War; John Fenwicke (c.1593-1670), supported the parliamentary cause during the English Civil War; George Fenwick (c. 1603-1657), an English Parliamentarian, and a leading colonist in the short-lived Saybrook Colony, Member of Parliament for Morpeth (1640-52) and Member of Parliament for Berwick-upon-Tweed (1654-1657); Sir William Fenwick, 2nd Baronet (c.1617-1676), an English landowner and politician who sat in...
Another 113 words (8 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Phoenix Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Phoenix Ranking

In the United States, the name Phoenix is the 8,893^rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3

Phoenix migration to the United States +

Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Phoenix or a variant listed above:

Phoenix Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Phoenix, who arrived in New York, NY in 1816 4

Phoenix migration to Australia +

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

Phoenix Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

James Phoenix, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Sir Charles Forbes" in 1839 5
John William Phoenix, aged 5, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Caroline" 6
John William Phoenix, aged 5, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Punjab"

Contemporary Notables of the name Phoenix (post 1700) +

Summer Phoenix (b. 1978), born Summer Joy Bottom, an American actress and model
Rain Phoenix (b. 1972), born Rain Joan of Arc Bottom, an American actress, musician, and singer
River Jude Phoenix (1970-1993), born River Jude Bottom, an American film actor, musician, and activist
Theodore W. Phoenix, American politician, Member of New Jersey State House of Assembly from Morris County, 1869-70
Jonas Phillips Phoenix (1788-1859), American politician, Member of New York State Legislature; U.S. Representative from New York 3rd District, 1843-45, 1849-51; Member of New York State Assembly from New York County 1st District, 1848
Henry Phoenix, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Steuben County, 1829
George Phoenix (1854-1933), American politician, Mayor of Saginaw, Michigan, 1931-33; Died in office 1933
Bessie Phoenix, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from North Carolina, 1940
Ronald James "Ron" Phoenix (1929-2021), English footballer who played as a wing half in the Football League for Manchester City and Rochdale (1951-1962)
Peter Patrick Phoenix (1936-2020), English footballer who made 241 appearances as a left winger in the Football League
... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Phoenix 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: Toujours fidele
Motto Translation: Always faithful.

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
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)
"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)
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) SIR CHARLES FORBES (originally Charles Forbes) 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839SirCharlesForbes.htm
South Australian Register Thursday 26th April 1855. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Caroline 1855. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/caroline1855.shtml