The Fenn surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 5,172 people carried this name — #6,548 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 57,100 people counted. That is up 10% from 4,689 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Fenn surname

As an English topographic surname, from the noun fen.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Fenn» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a local name, from where the family lived: ‘at the fen’.

An early record he cites: Isabella ate Fenne, Oxfordshire, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

His entry covers Fenn and Fen.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 285 · public domain.

In print

Fenn in American newspapers,
1907–1911.

Newspaper page from The San Antonio Light carrying the name Fenn
The San Antonio Light 1907-10-20
Newspaper page from San Antonio Light And Gazette carrying the name Fenn
San Antonio Light And Gazette 1909-07-18
Newspaper page from The Frontier carrying the name Fenn
The Frontier 1911-06-01

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 104,162 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Fenn in Australian newspapers,
1810s–2000s.

16,577 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Fenn. The most, 2,511, date from the 1860s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in South Australia, at 3.9 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

South Australia 8,543
New South Wales 3,555
Western Australia 2,131
Victoria 1,072
Queensland 740
Tasmania 468
ACT (Canberra) 32
Northern Territory 7

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Fenn.

Who carried it

People named Fenn,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Clare Fenn d. 1961
  • Susan Fenn d. 2013
  • Catharine Fenn d. 1674
  • Hugh Fenn 1415–1476
  • Hugh Fenn 1418–1476
  • John Fenn 1535–1615 · politician

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Fenn,
in the records of 10 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States743 records

743 records of the Fenn name in the United States
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 275
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 157
  • Other U.S. records 311
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Edwin H. Fenn

    Born 1913 in Mississippi. Enlisted 1940 at Jackson; farm hand from Amite County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1998, buried at Mount Olive Cemetery, McComb, Mississippi.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Dorothea Fenn

    Arrived at New York in 1884 aboard the Oder from Bremen and Southampton, aged 19; farmer. From H-Low, Germany.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Daniel Richard Fenn

    Born 1950; from Toppenish, Washington. U.S. Army, infantryman; died in an accident 1970 in Binh Dinh, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)

Showing 3 of 743 records for Fenn in the United States.

Counts: NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain).

Australia279 records

279 records of the Fenn name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 173
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 34
  • Other Australian records 72
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Ann Fenn

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Lloyds, sailing from London in 1845. Native of Bristol, Gloucestershire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1848. Married 1848 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 35.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Elizth Fenn

    Arrived in Victoria in 1852 aboard the Cossipore, aged 21; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Jack Malville Fenn

    Retired motor mechanic of Reservoir, Victoria; died 1992.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 279 records for Fenn in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Germany118 records

118 records of the Fenn name in Germany
  • Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919 113
  • German emigration and citizenship files 5
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Hilmar Fenn

    Born 1893; from Altenfeld. Reported dead in the Prussian casualty list of 3 December 1918 (Reserve Infantry Regiment No. 259).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record Babette Fenn

    Left Walchenfeld for North America in 1856.

    Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek / Staatsarchiv Würzburg (CC0)
  3. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record Johann Georg Fenn

    Left Junkersdorf for Prague, Bohemia in 1840.

    Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek / Staatsarchiv Würzburg (CC0)

Showing 3 of 118 records for Fenn in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0) · Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0); Emigration file, Gündlingen, 1883, Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Staatsarchiv Freiburg B 694/1 Nr. 1389 (CC BY 4.0).

Canada34 records

34 records of the Fenn name in Canada
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 8
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 6
  • Other Canadian records 20
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Sam'l Fenn

    Came to Ontario in 1878 aboard the Peruvian, bound for Hamilton, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record James Shepherd Fenn

    Died 2000, aged 91; buried at St. Vital Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Anna Fenn

    Buried in 1993 at Burnsland Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 78.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.

Showing 3 of 34 records for Fenn in Canada.

Counts: City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

United Kingdom29 records

29 records of the Fenn name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 20
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 4
  • Other British records 5
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Ernest Norman Fenn

    Died 1940, aged 58; buried at Logie Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record William Fenn

    Will proved in 1929; of Bangor, Carnarvon.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Ann Fenn

    Buried in 1801 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 65.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Showing 3 of 29 records for Fenn in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Netherlands8 records

8 records of the Fenn name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 4
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 2
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 2
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Thomas Sage Fenn

    Died 1855 in Dordrecht, aged 18.

    Open Archives, Regionaal Archief Rivierenland (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Emilie Justina Fenn

    Married in 1928 in Hilversum.

    Open Archives, Noord-Hollands Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Robbrecht Fenn

    Married in 1649 in Rotterdam; born in Jermuijden.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 8 records for Fenn in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

New Zealand6 records

6 records of the Fenn name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 5
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Frederick James Fenn

    Died 1904, aged 56; buried at Linwood Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Edward Fenn

    Buried in 1893 at Shortland Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 34.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 6 records for Fenn in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

France2 records

2 records of the Fenn name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Jeanne Emilienne Fenn

    Born 1893 in Paris; died 1986 in Paris.

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Gene Fenn

    Born 1911 in the United States; died 2001 in Paris.

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Norway2 records

2 records of the Fenn name in Norway Norway's 1910 census
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record Barbra Fenn

    Census of 1910: Kirkegate, Aalesund; nursemaid, born 1874 in Stryn.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)
  2. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record Berte-Anna Fenn

    Census of 1910: Republiken, Ørlandet; "meieriskoleelev", born 1887 in Stryn.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)

Counts: Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Switzerland1 record

1 record of the Fenn name in Switzerland Zürich marriage records, 16th–18th centuries
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Elisabeth Fenn

    Married in 1536 in Grossmünster, canton of Zürich.

    Staatsarchiv des Kantons Zürich, Zürcher Ehedaten (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Staatsarchiv des Kantons Zürich, Zürcher Ehedaten (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Fenn.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Fenn is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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