The Fenwick surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 4,597 people carried this name — #7,254 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 64,100 people counted. That is up 3% from 4,482 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Fenwick surname

A habitational surname from Old English.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Fenwick» (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: ‘of Fenwick’.

An early record he cites: Johannes de Fenwyk’, 1379 — Poll Tax, West Riding of Yorkshire.

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

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Fenwick was found among the farmers of 3 counties.

It was most frequent in Northumberland: 22 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 455. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Northumberland 22
Durham 12
Yorkshire, North and East Ridings 12

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In Scotland’s registers today

Fenwick was recorded 16 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 1361st most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 20. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

20 Fenwick families were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 106 people lived in those households, 5.3 to a family on average. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Maryland 18
South Carolina 2

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 240 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Fenwick in American newspapers,
1889–1915.

Newspaper page from The Helena Independent carrying the name Fenwick
The Helena Independent 1891-08-25
Newspaper page from The Great Falls Leader carrying the name Fenwick
The Great Falls Leader 1889-04-16
Newspaper page from Ellsworth American carrying the name Fenwick
Ellsworth American 1915-09-01

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 47,328 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Fenwick in Australian newspapers,
1830s–1990s.

27,151 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Fenwick. The most, 3,541, date from the 1890s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Queensland, at 1.4 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 10,725
Queensland 6,629
Victoria 4,666
South Australia 2,308
Western Australia 1,817
Tasmania 854
ACT (Canberra) 125
Northern Territory 9

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

Who carried it

People named Fenwick,
with a public archive behind them.

  • John Fenwick d. 1823 · journalist
  • John Fenwick d. 1823 · journalist
  • Mark Fenwick d. 1945
  • Eleanor Jane Fenwick d. 1907
  • Georgina Fenwick d. 1920
  • Rose Nannette Fenwick d. 1950

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

In the public record

People named Fenwick,
in the records of 8 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 States489 records

489 records of the Fenwick name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 145
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 89
  • Other U.S. records 255
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Edward T. Fenwick

    Born 1921 in Nebraska. Enlisted 1942 at San Antonio Aviation Cadet Center, Texas; farmer. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1985, buried at Fort Logan National Cemetery, Colorado.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record William D. Fenwick

    Born 1932; from Bannock County, Idaho. U.S. Army, field artillery cannoneer; killed in action 1950 in South Korea.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Minny Fenwick

    Arrived at New York in 1869 aboard the Queen from Liverpool, aged 55; matron. From Ireland.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 489 records for Fenwick in the United States.

Counts: 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. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · 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); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia928 records

928 records of the Fenwick name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 630
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 90
  • Other Australian records 208
  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 Fenwick

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Royal Admiral, sailing from London in 1842. Native of Lincolnshire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1844. Married 1844 in Launceston, Tasmania, aged 32.

    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 Henry Fenwick

    Arrived in Victoria in 1856 aboard the Saldanha, aged 38; 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 Vernon Marshall Fenwick

    Retired traveller of Malvern, Victoria; died 1962.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 928 records for Fenwick in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). 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).

Canada63 records

63 records of the Fenwick name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 27
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 8
  • Other Canadian records 28
  1. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record Peggy Fenwick

    Left New York in 1783 aboard the Joseph, bound for Annapollis Royal, aged 19.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Mathew Fenwick

    Came to Ontario in 1878 aboard the Texas, landing at Quebec, bound for Mimico, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Geraldine Ann Fenwick

    Buried in 1971 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 28.

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

Showing 3 of 63 records for Fenwick in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · 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. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Emigration file, Gündlingen, 1883, Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Staatsarchiv Freiburg B 694/1 Nr. 1389 (CC BY 4.0); 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 Kingdom48 records

48 records of the Fenwick name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 30
  • Stirling Council burial records 11
  • Other British records 7
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record James Fenwick

    Born 1893 at Redgorton; civil engineer. Served in the First World War. Named in the Morayshire roll of honour (1921).

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Jessie McCulloch Fenwick

    Died 1954, aged 78; buried at Bannockburn Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

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

    Will proved in 1931.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)

Showing 3 of 48 records for Fenwick in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain) · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

New Zealand18 records

18 records of the Fenwick name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 8
  • Marlborough District cemetery records 4
  • Other New Zealand records 6
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Percival Clennell Fenwick

    Died 1958, aged 87; buried at Ruru Lawn, 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 Leslie Arthur Fenwick

    Died 1992, aged 65; buried at Fairhall Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Edward Clifford Fenwick

    Buried in 1987 at Buffalo Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 77.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 18 records for Fenwick in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · 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).

France6 records

6 records of the Fenwick 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 Albert Fenwick

    Born 1922 in Morocco; died 1995 in Nice (Alpes-Maritimes).

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

    Born 1965 in Great Britain; died 1996 in Bonnes (Charente).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  3. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Joseph William Fenwick

    Born 1932 in the United Kingdom; died 1991 in Marcilly-lès-Buxy (Saône-et-Loire).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 6 records for Fenwick in France.

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).

Netherlands3 records

3 records of the Fenwick name in the Netherlands Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths)
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Robert Fenwick

    Died 1829 in Den Haag, aged 78.

    Open Archives, Nationaal Archief Rijksarchief Zuid-Holland (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record James Nation Fenwick

    Died 1961 in Utrecht.

    Open Archives, Het Utrechts Archief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 3 records for Fenwick 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).

Belgium1 record

1 record of the Fenwick name in Belgium Belgian civil registers (births, marriages, deaths)
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Gertrude Fenwick

    Died 1956 in Gent.

    Open Archives, Archief Gent (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Fenwick.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Fenwick 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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